


Heart In The Ocean

by kittenofdoomage



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Legends, Mating, Mermaid!Reader, Mermaids, Mermen, Merpeople, Multichapter, NSFW, Oral, Other, Reader Insert, Sex, Smut, explicit - Freeform, merman!Dean, merman!sam, soulmate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-03
Updated: 2016-02-03
Packaged: 2018-05-18 02:14:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5894185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittenofdoomage/pseuds/kittenofdoomage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summary: Someone challenged me to write Dean as a mermaid. So I did. Got a whole friggin' series and myth concept for it too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The sun was setting over the bay, painting the sky with purples and reds that transfixed your gaze. You listened to the gulls in the distance, seeking out scraps left over from holidaymakers, muffled by the sound of laughter from your friends around the campfire.

Well, you thought they might be friends. The only one of the group that you knew well was Kevin, your friend from work, and he’d practically begged you to come with him on this day trip to the beach. His crush, Jem, was here, and you agreed because he’d suggested you might like her friend Mike. Mike was certainly nice to look at, but he was a jock and a bit of a jerk. He was far too handsy, and seemed to not take anything seriously.

‘I wanna go for a swim.’ Jem said, grinning over at you. 'You up for it, Y/N?’

Kevin jumped in before you could say anything in response. 'Y/N doesn’t swim. She doesn’t like water.’

'How do you shower?’ Mike said, laughing at his own bad joke and you rolled your eyes, without him noticing.

'I’m not afraid of water. I’ve never learnt to swim, and I don’t really like open water.’ You weren’t lying. Ever since you were little, your dad had discouraged the idea of beach holidays, preferring inland. You didn’t even live near this patch of coast – you and Kevin had driven down for the day with Jem and Mike, from your town twenty miles inland. Your dad didn’t even know you were here, and he’d probably flip if he did know. You didn’t mind swimming pools, as long as they weren’t too deep, and of course you could shower.

'That’s silly.’ Jem dismissed, and you found yourself a little insulted. Standing up, you excused yourself from the campfire, hearing Kevin telling Jem and Mike exactly why you were scared of the ocean. Mike made some joke about Jaws, and you scowled as you walked away towards the small pier a few yards away, your eyes still on the sun disappearing in the distance. The water sparkled and you admired the view.

You weren’t afraid of the water. Not really. You were afraid of what could happen.

When you were little, too little to really remember, your mom had died out there, somewhere. She’d been on a boating trip with friends, when something had gone wrong. The ocean had taken your mother from you, and somehow you couldn’t really ever get past that.

A sigh escaped your lips as you walked to the end of the pier, looking down at the sparkling water. It was dark, too dark to see beyond the surface and you shivered, feeling the night chill setting into your skin.

'Hey.’ Mike’s voice made you turn and you offered up a weak smile at his approach. He came to stand next to you. 'It’s pretty awesome out here.’ He looked at you sideways as you nodded. 'Kevin said that something happened when you were a kid, and that’s why you don’t like it.’

'Yeah.’ You affirmed, hugging yourself tightly.

'Sorry.’ Maybe he wasn’t so much of a dick. He edged closer to you. 'You know, I could take you out. For a swim that it. I’m pretty good, and I’d keep you safe.’

'Maybe another time.’ You said, smiling at him genuinely this time. 'It’s pretty dark and cold now.’

'Water’s not cold.’ He said, looking over at the black depths. 'Currents around here keep it warm. That’s why it’s an ideal spot.’ He reached out, taking your hand in his larger one. 'Come on, we’ll go down to the shallows and I’ll show you.’

'I really don’t want to.’ You said, trying to pull your hand from his grip, but he held you fast.

'Come on, Y/N. Look, we won’t go too deep. I promise you’ll like it.’

You yanked at your hand, willing him to let go. 'No, Mike, I don’t want to!’ Your voice was getting shrill now, and you pulled harder. Mike tightened his grip, pulling you forward, before suddenly letting go. You shrieked as you gained your freedom and lost your balance, everything moving in slow motion as you stumbled backwards, your foot slipping over the edge of the pier. Too late, Mike saw you falling backwards, but his hands grabbed at thin air as you fell the few feet into the water, a loud splash as you breached the surface.

Your name was a dull sound in the water, and you panicked almost immediately, your legs going numb. The water wasn’t cold, in fact it would have been pleasant if you weren’t panicking about drowning. A secondary splash came to your attention as you surged upwards, arms flailing for support as you gasped for air.

'Y/N!’ Mike’s voice, accompanied by more splashing. He’d jumped in. 'I’m really sorry!’ He swam closer, reaching out for you, but you weren’t really listening, too worried about the increasing numbness in your abdomen. 'Are you okay?’

'I’m fine.’ You spat, angry at him.

He grinned. 'At least you’re in the water. They say the best way to confront your fears is to jump in!’

'You’re not funny, Mike. I could have drowned.’ You looked around, your arms waving at your sides almost naturally, keeping you afloat. His grin widened.

'You’re a natural.’ He nodded, coming closer to you. You felt dizzy and sick and wanted to move away from him, but he kept coming. 'It’s probably gonna be more comfortable if we took our clothes off and threw them up there though.’ He reached out, tugging at your t-shirt.

'Get lost.’

He didn’t take the hint. Apparently taking instruction wasn’t strong point of his. 'Come on, Y/N. Stop being such a spoil sport.’ You pushed at him, growing increasingly distraught.

You almost missed when he was suddenly hit by a weight in the water, which threw him backwards about five feet, narrowly missing the edge of the pier. Immediately he shrieked like a girl and started swimming fast towards the shore, screaming out “Shark! Shark!”. You blinked, looking around, before you remembered that it wasn’t the season for sharks, and there hadn’t been a reported sighting in this bay for twenty years.

Maybe it was a dolphin.

Along with this train of thought, pain seized your lower half, and you sank like a stone, your body twisting and shaking in the water. You gasped, swallowing the liquid down and your brain immediately took on that thought you’d always dreaded. This was it. You were drowning. You were going to die.

Opening your eyes, although not expecting to see anything, you were shocked to find the water almost alive around you, shining with light and…a guy.

There was a guy in front of you.

A topless guy.

With a tail.

Panic set in again. The guy came closer, frowning as he looked at you, then pointed down. You followed his direction, seeing your clothes almost floating in the water, your short skirt and then…

Holy shit.

*****

Dean hadn’t expected this for his nightly rounds. Being part of the guard for the pod meant he had to check nothing was amiss in the bay. Especially anything of the human variety coming too close to where the pod lived. He’d never encountered anything beyond a surfer in the water, and being spotted by them wasn’t normally a problem, seeing as his kind were normally dismissed as dolphins.

He definitely wasn’t expecting to see a girl fall into the water, after what looked like a fight with a large blonde man. And he didn’t think he’d have to swim over and knock the jerk for trying to take what wasn’t his.

That thought alone should have given him pause.

Whoever she was, she panicked when he’d hit the guy, and started to sink. Dean’s first reaction was to dive under, and bring her back to the surface, to stop her from drowning. But he hadn’t needed to. Underneath the water, he watched in shock as the previously human woman twisted and turned, the magic surrounding her briefly before leaving her with the same appendage he had.

She was a mermaid.

And she was apparently as shocked about it as he was.

Her tail was golden, with flecks of red in the shimmering scales, and for a long moment she stared at it like it might jump up and bite her.

Then she started to panic again.

Dean jumped into action, swimming closer, coming up to grab her arms.

'Stop, stop!’ He yelled and she froze.

'You…you can talk? But…’ She grabbed at her throat. 'I can talk? We’re underwater!!’ She stared at him. 'What are you? What’s happening to me?’

His first instinct was to laugh a little, but he bit it back, wondering how he could find this complete stranger so adorable. How the hell was he going to explain it to her?

Start simple.

'I’m Dean.’

*****

Dean, as he’d introduced himself, was a merman. And if that wasn’t the weirdest thing, it was definitely second to him announcing that you were one too.

'How the hell can _I_ be a mermaid? I’m human. I have…had legs. I was born in Jersey. I live in Talbot. With my dad. My _really_ human dad.’ You shook your head, stopping as you felt your hair swish around in the water. All these new sensations were really putting you off.

'Sometimes merpeople can be born on land.’ He said, shrugging. 'What about your mom?’

You paled, swallowing, thinking about how weird that felt. You could practically feel the water, feel yourself breathing it in like air. 'She died when I was little.’

'Maybe she was one.’

'I think my dad might have mentioned that.’ You replied sarcastically.

'Well, like it or not, princess, you’ve got a tail.’ He looked down. 'Pretty one too.’ He winked, and you pushed him away.

'Don’t flirt with me. We just met!’

’ _That’s_ your concern?’ He raised an eyebrow. You scowled, and your tail flicked in response to your distaste of his behaviour. Feeling it move made you look down again, and you shook your head.

'This is just…too weird.’ You concentrated, and your tail moved again, your body moving up a little. 'How can this…’

'Well, it’s just like having legs really.’ Dean said, swimming around you, like he was appraising you.

'How would you know?’

He chuckled. 'The tail is only there when we’re in salt water.’

You blinked. 'So…showering and everything?’

Dean nodded. 'We could live as human. We’re practically the same.’ He was still swimming around you, and you found yourself admiring his tail, like he had yours. His was the colour of the Mediterranean, blue and green mixing together, matching his stunning emerald eyes. He seemed to notice you watching him and paused for a moment. 'Only thing is, if we don’t return to the sea often…things can get bad.’

'So you have to come back?’

He shrugged. 'I wouldn’t know how often. I never left. No reason to.’

'You like it down here?’ You looked around, suddenly realising how much life was around you. You could see _everything_ , fish swimming, the currents…and if you listened hard enough, you could _hear_ everything too.

'It’s my home. Why wouldn’t I?’

'Haven’t you ever been to the surface?’

He nodded. 'I’ve been once or twice.’ He grinned. 'I like the burgers.’ You giggled, despite yourself. Dean smiled back, coming closer. 'Although if I’d known you were up there…’

'We only just met.’ You repeated, but you weren’t gonna deny that he was certainly nice to look at. Opening your mouth, you went to speak again, only to be interrupted by the sound of your name being shouted. 'What’s that?’

Dean looked upwards. 'Your friends I think.’ He scowled. 'That idiot I hit, thinks there’s a shark in the water.’ You listened closely, bewildered by these newfound abilities.

'Mike is…he’s a jerk.’ Your eyes widened. 'I have to go back!’ Dean looked crestfallen. 'I…I might be able to come and visit again though?’ You didn’t even know why you were saying that. Your father was going to flip out when he found out where you’d been.

'I’d like that.’ He took your hand. 'I’ll show you where you can get out without being noticed. Just tell your friends a current dragged you and you climbed out. Come on.’ He moved away, pulling you with him, and you found yourself following, not even having to think about what you were doing. He was right; the tail was just like legs, doing what you needed without active thought.

Dean led you past the pier where you’d fallen in, closer and closer to the surface when you hit the beach. His head breached the surface before yours and as you gasped for air, you realised you’d gone from breathing the water to breathing normally without any noticeable change. Dean grinned at you.

'You’ll get used to it.’ He said, then pointed at the deserted part of the beach. 'Go up there. As soon as you’re out of the water you’ll feel the change. Use the sand to dry yourself off.’ You nodded, following his gaze before looking back to him. He came closer, his hand still holding yours. 'I really hope I see you again…’ He frowned. 'I didn’t get your name.’

'Y/N.’ You whispered, all too aware of how close he was. He only smiled, before pressing his lips to yours.

'I really hope I see you again, Y/N.’

And he was gone.

*****

The drive home was filled with silence. Mike sat in the front of the car with Kevin, a sulk on his face to go with his black eye. Jem and Kevin had both chewed him out about leaving you in the water after it was his fault you fell in, and you’d called him an asshole for trying to take advantage. He’d protested, saying you were clearly up for it, which had led to you punching him and giving him the aforementioned black eye.

Kevin had immediately questioned where you’d been, and you’d given them the line Dean had told you to use. Of course, you’d had to keep your legs tightly pressed together on the journey home, because apparently your legs turning into a tail had shredded your underwear, and you’d completely lost your sneakers. Now you were sat uncomfortably in the car, your short skirt the only thing between you and  embarrassment. You were still soaked through as well, even if you suddenly loved the smell of the salty water in your hair and on your clothes.

Pulling up outside your house, Kevin stopped the car and you thanked him, before heading in. You didn’t say goodbye to Mike or Jem, too pissed at both of them to even give them a courteous wave. Kevin looked guilty as hell, and you knew he would probably be begging for forgiveness. It wasn’t his fault though – he hadn’t known Mike would be a complete jerk, and it wasn’t him that pushed you into the ocean.

Your dad was on the sofa when you let yourself in and trudged past the doorway to the living room, and he frowned, standing when he saw you.

'What on earth happened to you?’ He glanced at the window. 'Did it rain?’

You hesitated, wondering what his reaction would be. 'Well, we went to the beach for the day.’ Your dad paled and you narrowed your eyes. 'I was looking at the water, staying away from it as usual, when the douchebag that Kevin’s friend brought along, decided I should try swimming.’ You shrugged. 'I fell in. Got a bit wet. Lost my sneakers.’

Your dad looked down, as if checked your legs were still there, and you frowned. There was definitely something amiss there, and you found yourself thinking back to Dean’s words.

'But you’re okay?’ He asked.

'Yeah.’ You nodded. 'I’ll live.’ _Although as what, I don’t know._ 'Dad?’ He seemed to snap out of his staring, and you moved into the living room. 'How…how did mom…’ He shut his eyes, and you knew it was painful for him to talk about. He’d loved your mom more than anything in the world, and he didn’t like talking about what had happened. You smiled. 'Never mind.’ You moved closer, giving him a peck on the cheek. 'I’m gonna go to bed. All the excitement made me tired. And I have work tomorrow.’

Your father nodded, his hand coming down gently on your shoulder. 'Okay, sweetheart. I love you.’ He didn’t say it often, and you smiled.

'I love you too, Dad.’

*****

Two weeks had passed, and she hadn’t come back. Dean had returned to the bay every day, scouring the tourists from afar, checking every face, but he never saw hers.

As the third week started, he had prepared to swim out, only to be confronted by his brother, Sam.

'Dude.’ His baby brother, although larger than him, was always considered the gentle giant.

'What, Sam?’

'I know you’re doing your patrolling and stuff -’ Dean nodded, folding his arms over his bare chest, eyeing his brother carefully. 'But we do have lives besides that.’

'I know.’ Dean grumbled, making to swim around his brother. Sam allowed him past, but then followed, his large blue tail allowing him to keep up easily. 'You don’t need to follow me. Don’t you have stuff to do?’

'Well, the archives can manage themselves for a moment.’ Sam chuckled. He was one of the smartest in the pod, usually keeping his time to educating the younglings, or keeping the historic archives up to date. If he wasn’t doing that, he was sneaking onto land to research at the human libraries. Contact with humans wasn’t forbidden – only one thing was. 'You’re not just doing rounds.’

Dean’s jaw tightened and Sam nodded.

'You know that isn’t allowed. We can go up there, but we can’t…not with humans, Dean.’ Sam reached out, stopping his brother before he could swim off. 'Be careful.’

Dean sighed. 'She’s not human.’ He said quietly, and Sam frowned.

'But you’re at the bay constantly. You’ve been seen, looking through the crowds. One of the others said they even saw you spend hours in that diner you like, just…watching.’

'I like their burgers.’ Dean defended, before scrubbing a hand through his dark blonde hair. His tail flicked in agitation, causing a tiny current. Sam wrinkled up his nose at his brother’s discomfort. 'And…she’s not. I met her a couple of weeks ago. She fell in the water and…she changed, Sammy. She was one of us. She just didn’t know.’

'She didn’t _know_?’ Sam looked shocked, his head rearing back, and his long locks waving in the water. 'How can you not know?’

'I think…her dad. They live inland. She said she was born in Jersey.’ Sam nodded. He knew where that was from studying maps. 'I don’t think she’d ever been in the water.’

'Which would explain how she didn’t know. If she’s never taken on her true form…she wouldn’t need to return to the ocean.’ The younger brother let go of Dean’s arm. 'But she will now, Dean. If she’s been exposed…if she’s been one of us, she’ll need to come back. Or she’ll get sick. Really quickly.’

Dean paled. 'I didn’t think of that. She said she’d try and come back. I didn’t think…’ He turned. 'She could be in danger. I need to find her.’ His tail moved quickly, propelling him through the water and out of the underwater caverns that his pod resided in. Sam took off after him.

'Do you know her name?’

'I know her first name. They have surnames up there, don’t they?’ Dean asked, and Sam nodded. 'I didn’t get that. But I know where she lives.’

'It can’t be too hard to find her. We’ll go to the library. I know how to use all that technology they have. We can look for her.’

Dean was grateful for his brother’s help but he didn’t have time to stop and thank him. All he could think was that Y/N might be in danger, and he had to find her before the worst happened.

*****

You turned in your bed, feeling sick as hell. Your stomach clenched and you felt bile rise up in your throat. It must have been something you’d eaten. Problem was, nothing was making it better and you’d been in this state for several days already, giving up with work the day before when it seemed you were not improving.

'Sweetheart?’ Your dad’s voice made you open your sore eyes, and you gave him a small smile. 'I made you some chicken soup. Just like you like it.’

'Thanks, Daddy.’ You whispered, but you made no move to sit up as he placed the tray on your bedside table and took a seat next to you on the mattress.

'You’re really not well, huh?’ He seemed more worried than he usually would have been for a stomach bug.

'I think I ate something bad.’ You replied, your throat feeling dry as hell. 'Can I have that water?’ You asked, and your dad nodded, passing it to you. 'I’m sure I’ll be fine in a couple days.’

He smiled tightly, watching you sip at the cool liquid. 'I rang work for you.’ He ran his hand through your damp hair. 'Good thing you’re still living at home huh? I know you hate being an adult still living with your old man, but I’m glad you’re here so I can take care of you.’

You smiled gratefully, handing him back to the glass of water. 'I’m glad too.’ Your dad smiled again, standing up from your bed.

'I’ll come check on you in a bit, sweetheart. Just try and get some sleep, yeah?’

You gave him another nod, letting your eyes fall closed as you pulled the duvet closer. Sleep took you quickly, and you didn’t even hear the door click shut behind him.

Your dreams were sudden and way more vivid than normal. You were back in the sea with Dean, swimming around, your tail back. This time you wore a thin piece of cloth around your breasts, concealing your modesty as you literally frolicked in the water. You felt happy, content…free. Dean instigated a game through the rocks, showing you all the secret places in the bay.

'I wish we could stay like this forever.’ He whispered, catching you and pulling you close.

'Me too.’ You replied, allowing him to hold you tightly. 'But I can’t stay.’

He smiled sadly. 'I need more time.’

'There isn’t any.’

You jolted awake, sitting up in your bed, dry heaving. There was nothing in your stomach left to throw up, and your skin was slick with sweat. Trying to call out, your found your throat too dry and you collapsed back onto the bed, giving in.

Maybe this was more than a stomach bug or food poisoning.

Voices reached you through the haze and you opened your eyes, staring at the ceiling as you tried to discern who was talking.

 _'Please, you have to let us in.’_ That voice sounded familiar.

 _'I don’t even know who you are.’_ Your dad was angry. _'You turn up here, claiming you know my daughter…’_

_'I know who she is! And she’s sick. She’s gonna die if you don’t let us in!’_

The voices grew hushed and you faded again, your conscious thoughts giving way for what felt like hours. Your bedroom door opened, and you opened your eyes again, seeing a very familiar face looking down at you. Except this time, he wasn’t topless. He was wearing a thin jacket over a plaid shirt, and he was standing. On legs.

'Dean?’ You croaked.

'You can’t help her.’ Your dad’s voice made your head turn. 'She’s too…I didn’t think…’ He sounded upset and you tried to frown but nothing was obeying you. 'She never showed any signs.’

Dean seemed to ignore your dad, but there was another person in the room.

'You didn’t know. It’s not your fault.’

'Sam. Get the water into the bath. It’s the only way to help her now. The coast is too far.’ Dean was speaking to the other voice, but his eyes were still on you.

'I’m dreaming. I dreamt about you before.’ You whispered, wanting to raise your hand to his face, but instead you could only smile. 'I was gonna come back, but then I got sick.’

'You’re not sick, baby.’ Dean said, slipping his arms underneath your legs and back. 'You just need the sea.’ You curled into his chest, enjoying the warmth of his body against yours, completely ignoring the fact that your dad was in the room.

'Sea is too far away.’ Your voice was growing fainter by the second, but you were warm and safe here, happy to go to sleep…

'No, no, Y/N, stay with me.’

He sounded so desperate.


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing you noticed when you opened your eyes was the cool feeling of water on your skin and the cold bath underneath your cheek. You could see the white plastic as you took in your surroundings, and you blinked, placing your hands on the bottom of the tub. You still felt shakey and sick, but nowhere near as bad as you had.

‘Hey.’ You pushed yourself up, seeing Dean sat on the floor, his legs crossed as he watched you carefully.

'Dean?’ Your eyes widened as you looked him over. It was strange to see him in jeans and a shirt. He smiled and crawled forwards to your side, his gaze landing inside the tub. You followed his line of sight, seeing your brightly coloured tail sticking out over the edge of the bath. 'It wasn’t a dream then.’

'No.’ He shook his head, before reaching in and cupping one hand to collect the water and splash it over your tail. 'Not a dream.’

'I – I don’t understand.’ Your voice lowered to a whisper as your fingers pulled out of the water to pick at your soaked Eeyore pyjama top. 'You said…’

'I didn’t think. It was stupid of me to let you go.’ Dean continued to wet the shimmering scales on your tail. 'This is a temporary fix.’

'Fix to what?’ You asked, frowning. 'What’s going on?’

The door opened and you looked up, seeing your dad and a guy you’d never seen before walk in. He was tall, and almost as good looking as Dean, with long floppy hair like some sort of model. Your dad, however, looked like a wreck. His eyes were red rimmed, and it was obvious he’d been crying. He stood awkwardly behind Dean, his eyes roaming over you. A little part of you felt like covering up – you weren’t wearing pants after all, but it wasn’t like there was anything on display. His eyes landed on your tail, and he sniffed, looking like he was going to cry again.

'Same colour as your mother’s.’

Your eyes widened impossibly, and Dean stood up, nodding at the other man you didn’t know, who left the bathroom. Then he glanced between you and your father. 'We’ll give you some space. Keep her wet.’ He said, giving you a tight smile as he left you both alone.

'Dad…I don’t understand.’

Your father pulled out the stool from under the sink, pulling it to the side of the bath, before taking a seat. 'I’ve been lying to you for a long, Y/N. I’m so sorry.’

'Mom didn’t die in a boat accident, did she?’ It wasn’t so much a question as a statement and you saw his eyes well up again. He shook his head. 'Tell me, Dad. Please.’ You kept your voice soft – you didn’t need a degree to realise he had been trying to protect you.

'I met your mother whilst I was on holiday with my family. I was barely twenty. And she was…I fell from a kayak, a distance away from the group. Thought I was going to die.’ Your dad looked up at the ceiling, remembering back almost thirty years. 'She was beautiful. Appearing out of nowhere, wearing nothing but a smile and coral netting around her. I’m not ashamed to admit I fell in love immediately.’ He wiped at his eyes. 'But it was…difficult. Your mother being what she was, it was forbidden. They can come up here, they can talk to us, interact with us but it’s a rule that they can’t… _be_ with us. And she broke that rule. She ran away.’ He sniffed. 'We were careful. But not careful enough. When she found out that she was pregnant, she didn’t know what to do. There was a fifty fifty chance you’d be like her. Born like her. We wouldn’t know until it happened. And she couldn’t give you up.’ He looked over at you now. ’ _I_ couldn’t give you up. Or her. I begged her to stay, even though I knew she had to return to the sea, to stay alive. And she managed that. We got a place near Washington, on the coast.’

'I thought I was born in…’

He shook his head. 'I had a friend from college who helped me forge the paperwork.’

Your heart felt cold. 'So everything…everything in my life is a lie?’

'No!’ Your dad reached out, touching your arm lightly. 'No. We just had to protect you. We don’t know who knows what these days. There’s a chance that anyone could take you. Your mother and I…we decided to stay away from the sea. To keep you safe. When you were born, it didn’t look like you’d inherited that side.’ He shook his head. 'We were foolish. Your mother said to keep you away at all costs. So we moved here.’

'And what happened to mom?’

'She…got sick. Like you did. She was returning to water every few weeks. But she hated leaving you. You got the flu when you were little. And she didn’t want to leave. I kept telling her to go but she refused. I offered to take her, and you, but she didn’t want you near the sea.’ A choked sob escaped his throat. 'By the time…by the time she got like you, it was too late.’ He let go of your arm, but you grabbed his hand.

'It’s not your fault, Dad.’ You whispered, squeezing his fingers. 'Mom…she was just…’

'Stubborn like you.’ He replied, tears falling down his cheeks. 'And now I could lose you too.’

'No. You’re not gonna lose me. I feel better.’

'Dean and Sam said this was only a quick fix. That it won’t work for long.’ He looked over at the huge tail spilling over the edge of his bathtub, water dripping onto the floor. 'You need to go to the ocean, sweetheart.’

'So I’ll go. I can come back. Dean did. He said that once I’m dry…’ You struggled to sit up.

'You need to stay. Get adjusted to that world.’ Your dad looked so sad, and you just wanted to comfort him, but the nausea was rapidly returning to your body. 'It’s better for you. Maybe in time, you can come home but you’ll be forever tied to that world.’ His chin dropped to his chest. 'I tried so hard to keep you safe…’

'Daddy…’ He was crying freely now, and without a care for your own well being, you flung yourself at him, arms wrapping around his neck, your own tears spilling over. 'I love you. I’ll come home.’

'Oh my sweet little girl…’ He sobbed into your neck. 'You’re so brave. Your mother would be so proud of you.’ You nodded, burying your face into his shoulder like you did when you were little and scared. You wished you felt like it was true, that you were being brave, but the truth was, you were just waiting to wake up from what was turning into a nightmare.

You hadn’t wanted to let him go. The hug you shared on the doorstep, once you had legs again, was bittersweet and difficult to break. Your dad had been the one constant in your entire life, and you knew that you wouldn’t be seeing him again for a long time. You watched out of the rear window of the car until you couldn’t see him anymore, and then turned into your seat, looking at the two men in the front.

Sam was Dean’s brother, and apparently also a merperson. You weren’t even sure if that was the correct pronoun. But he’d smiled and introduced himself, and he seemed nice enough. It had been his idea to bring water from the ocean to try and stop the effects advancing.

'How long will it take us to get back?’ You asked, desperate to distract yourself from the turmoil you were feeling. It was getting worse by the second, and you found yourself anxious to get this all done with so you could return home.

'About an hour. There’s no straight route.’ Dean explained. 'But Baby is fast.’

'”Baby”’? You questioned.

Sam looked back at you. 'He named the car. He keeps it, even though he never goes anywhere. It was our dad’s.’

'Your dad’s?’ A frown crossed your face. 'Why would a mer…merperson need a car?’ Damn pronouns. Sam let out a little chuckle.

'Our dad was…unconventional. He lived on land a lot.’

'My dad said that was forbidden.’

'It was. But it happens. We’re the only ones we knew of. Our parents managed to make it work, until our mom was killed by a trawler boat when I was a youngling. Dad…didn’t take it too well.’

Dean scoffed. 'If take it too well you mean he went off the deep end and disappeared for years before coming back and being exiled.’ His hands tightened on the steering wheel. 'This car is all we had left.’

'Is he still…?’ You weren’t sure how to answer that question.

'No. He died.’ Sam said, his eyes landing on his big brother. 'We don’t know how. But we knew.’

You leant forward. 'How did you know?’

'We have a…familial connection, that’s probably the best way to explain it. We can tell when a member of the pod has gone.’ He smiled. 'It’s stronger between mates.’ A strange look crossed your face, and Sam noticed. 'Merpeople mate for life. It’s usually predestined.’

You raised an eyebrow. 'Well, that takes the fun out of it.’ Silence fell as Dean cleared his throat, and you had another thought. 'But how do you…you know…’ You blushed and Sam laughed. Dean gave a small smile, looking in the rear view mirror at you.

'Like you do.’ He looked over at Sam, who glanced down with a smile before taking over from his brother.

'Obviously, with a tail? Not gonna be the easiest thing. We’re part fish after all. But still mammal. No one knows how far back our genetics split from humans. It’s one of the things I’ve been researching.’

'And he’s off.’ Dean muttered. 'Such a geek.’ You giggled, despite the situation, as Sam lightly punched his brother.

'Anyway, we’re still mammals with respect to breeding. We’re pretty much human for that. We just…have a special place where we go. Above water, but it’s like a black hole for humans. They can’t detect it.’

'Like the Bermuda triangle?’ You asked, and Sam’s face lit up.

'Exactly! There’s loads of them dotted all over the world.’ He smiled, looking at Dean. 'I like her. She’s smart.’ You blushed as Dean returned his brother’s earlier punch with one of his own, your fingers pulling at the cotton bottoms you were wearing. A yawn overtook your face, and you leant back in the seat.

'You should get some shut eye.’ Dean said, his green eyes watching you in the mirror. 'Save your strength. We’ll get you back in plenty of time. Thanks to Sammy.’

A sleepy grin spread over your face. 'Yeah. I think I’ll…’

You didn’t finish your sentence.

*****

He almost hadn’t made it. Watching you in the backseat of the old car he kept, he was thankful for his brother so much more. It hurt to think that he’d almost lost you without even having you in the first place. But now you were here, and he was taking you home.

Maybe you thought of Talbot as your home, maybe you always would, but Dean knew that the ocean was your _true_ home.

And all Sam’s talk of mates had him thinking about the first time he’d seen you. He’d never felt that way before, not when he’d first seen anyone. And he’d never felt that way about of the mermaids in their pod. Sam had Jess, of course, with her bright pink scales and enticing blonde hair. Wouldn’t be long before they had younglings of their own.

Dean had never expected to find anyone. He’d spent his whole life looking after Sam, practically raising him after what had happened to their mother and their dad. He’d taught Sam how to hunt, how to ride the waves, how to change into human form and blend in. He’d taught him how to read, although it hadn’t been long before he overtook his big brother in the smarts department.

He’d never put much thought beyond looking out for Sammy, or doing his duty to the pod. The only thing he had in his life was the car his father had fawned over when he was a youngling, when he’d watched him from the water as he fixed the old thing up, questioning everything his dad was doing. His first steps as human had been beside the Impala, and he’d learned to drive it by trial and error (one of which had included crashing it).

Now Y/N had dropped into his life like the proverbial bombshell. She was stunning, and captured his attention like no female ever had. Everything about her was perfect.

And he’d almost let her die.

She’d never even think of him like that.

Watching her in the rearview mirror, he sighed, grabbing his brother’s attention. Sam frowned, following his brother’s eyes to the sleeping woman in the back of the car.

'What’s wrong?’

'She almost died, Sam.’ Dean kept his voice quiet.

'But she didn’t. She’s gonna be fine. A few more miles and we’ll be home.’ He smiled. 'You can show her the sights. Show her our world.’ His eyes lingered on his brother. 'Maybe you and her…’

'Don’t, Sam.’ Dean gritted his teeth together. 'We both know she won’t…there’s someone better for her out there. Another merman. Someone who didn’t almost get her killed.’

'Dean, you didn’t know -’

'I should have!’ The outburst was sudden and Y/N shifted in the backseat, making Dean pause, before pushing on the accelerator. 'She’s not gonna look at me that way, Sam. So just drop it.’

Sam sat back, holding his hands together in his lap, looking down. He wished Dean wouldn’t be so defensive. He knew there was something there, but it was just like him to sacrifice his happiness because he thought he wasn’t enough.

Except Sam knew better, and he had sneaking suspicion that Y/N did too.

*****

You smelt the sea before you opened your eyes, hearing the waves crashing against rocks and seabirds flying overhead. Sitting up in the back seat of the Impala, you saw both brothers were outside, standing and looking out over the bay. It wasn’t where you’d been with the first time you’d been here, it looking like the other side of the bay, a long way from the beach. All there was beside the car was slanted wide rocks, flat surfaces slick with ocean spray and algae.

Dean turned as you shifted in the car, your fingers reaching for the door handle. He was quick to be at the door, opening it for you and helping you out, Sam’s eyes watching carefully.

'How are you feeling?’

You looked up at him, feeling more tired than you had been before you’d fallen asleep. 'Pretty awful.’

Sam grimaced. 'She needs to get in the water. Soon.’ Dean held your face between his hands, pushing your hair back out of your eyes.

'You take her.’ He said, quietly, and you tried not to frown, although Sam had no such reservation. 'I’ll get the car back to the garage. I’ll find you at home.’

'Are you sure? Maybe you’d be better off taking her and -’

'No, it’s okay.’ Dean said. 'Y/N will be safe with you. I won’t be long. I swim faster than you do anyway.’

Sam watched his brother for a moment, before relenting, moving to support you as Dean turned away, climbing back into the car. Sam’s strong arms held you close, both of you watching as Dean drove away in the car.

'What’s wrong with him?’ You asked, noticing how raspy your voice was. You couldn’t deny that a part of you was hurt by Dean leaving like that and you wondered if you’d done something wrong.

'He’s an idiot, that’s what wrong with him.’ Sam muttered, but you didn’t respond, only allowing him to lead you down a slippery path towards the water. 'Watch your step, Y/N. It’s not the easiest of paths but it’s the best place not to be seen.’

'What about my clothes?’

'Leave the shirt on.’ He said, as you drew closer to the edge of the rocks. It was refreshing to feel the spray on your face, and you were already feeling better. 'I’m gonna dive in okay? Your pants will rip off, like I’m sure you’ve already experienced.’

'Seems like a waste of clothing.’ You said, wobbling on your own two feet as Sam stopped and let go of you to pull his jeans off.

'It is sometimes.’ He discarded the jeans. 'Trust me, you don’t want to change with jeans on. It hurts. Cotton pants will be fine. They’ll rip anyway. Keep your top on, it won’t hinder your swimming. We’ll find you something a little less confining when we get back to the pod.’

'The pod is…your group, right?’ You asked and Sam nodded.

'I’ll introduce you to Jess. Don’t worry. It’s gonna be fine. You’re one of us. They’ll accept you.’ You nodded, watching as he pulled off his shirt, exposing his muscled chest and you wondered briefly if all mermen were this damn good looking. Or the mermaids for that matter. Would you fit in? You didn’t feel like a supermodel, like how they looked.

Sam threw himself off the rocks, making a graceful arch in the air before disappearing with barely a splash underneath the water. When he emerged several seconds later, his long hair sticking to his skin. He grinned over at you.

'Your turn.’

You looked down, before dropping to your ass on the rock edge, dipping your toe in. It was pleasantly warm, and you took a breath, pushing yourself in, far less graceful than Sam had been. As soon as you were submerged, you felt the change, the cotton of your pants ripping away easily, just like Sam had said. Taking a breath under the water, you opened your eyes, everything sharper all at once.

'Is it always like this?’

'Like what?’ Sam asked, swimming down around you, waiting for you to get your bearings.

'So…sharp. Like being a human is dull. And then everything is so…’

He nodded, his hair moving around his head through the water like some kind of hair product advert. Gee, they made this species pretty.

You flicked your tail back and forth, experimenting with the limb you hadn’t quite adjusted to yet, before swimming in a circle around Sam. You imagined you looked fairly stupid in an Eeyore pyjama top with a tail, but feeling the water moving passed you, the naturalness of your movements…you didn’t care anymore. It felt like it had in your dream.

'So this is what freedom feels like.’ You said, quietly, and Sam chuckled.

'Yeah.’ He nodded. 'For me, it’s home. I love it up there,’ he pointed to the surface, where the sun sprinkled over the waves, making extraordinary patterns underneath the water, 'the technology, the food, the sun…but down here? Down here is my world. We’re not confined, we’re not controlled.’ He swam a little way ahead. 'Let me show you.’

He took off, and you followed, letting your body do the work without actively thinking. If you put too much into it, you found yourself going the wrong way; apparently being too conscious of your tail would throw you off. After a few moments, you gained a momentum, and a smile spread over your face as you swam through the water, losing yourself in swimming.

'You’re good.’ Sam chuckled, watching as you span yourself around, getting acquainted with your new form. 'It’s not far to the pod. You’ll find you can be quite fast when you want to be.’

You narrowed your eyes, focusing on swimming ahead, and found yourself moving through the water faster than you’d ever been able to run. You giggled, enjoying the movement, until you found yourself knocked sideways. You tumbled through the water, coming to a stop before shaking your head and wondering what had happened.

'You hit a current.’ Sam said, catching up to you, a huge grin on his face. 'You’ll get used to them and figure out how to navigate.’

'Okay.’ Your reply was short, and you spent the rest of the swim sticking close to Sam. After a half hour or so, he started to slow, and you looked ahead, seeing an outcrop of rock in the ocean floor. It was unclear how far you’d swum, but you couldn’t hear any signs of human life like you had at the bay. You could hear voices, but they were clear and not muffled.

'Look.’ Sam pointed down, and on the sandy floor, you saw other merpeople, some sitting on rocks, others swimming around. There were smaller shapes too, and at first you thought they might be fish, but upon closer inspection…they were tiny merpeople. 'Younglings’, Sam explained. 'We age at the same rate as humans. That’s kind of…a kindergarten would be the closest comparison.’

'How do you know so much about my…’ You paused. 'The human world?’

Sam shrugged. 'We haven’t hidden from it. You just can’t use an iPhone underwater.’ You giggled, following him down through the rock outcrop. As you got closer, it became clear it was a series of intricate caves, and there were merpeople everywhere.

'How many of you are there?’ You said, keeping even closer to him as other merpeople stared at you and whispered.

'About two hundred here. That’s a normal pod size.’ He pointed at a cavern. 'Don’t worry, Y/N. Once they realise what’s happened, they’ll take you in. We’re a friendly species.’

'I just…this is all new. I know you seem to think it’s nothing but…I just left my whole life behind.’

Sam looked back at you, his pace slowing right down. He opened his mouth, ready to say something, when someone shouted his name.

'Sam!’ You followed the sound, seeing a stunningly beautiful blonde mermaid coming towards you both, her pink tail fanning out behind her. Sam smiled, moving towards her, embracing her tightly. She was wearing some kind of netting around her top half, and you swallowed, astounded by how gorgeous she was.

'Jess. God, I missed you.’ He hugged her tightly, kissing her once, before turning to you. 'Y/N. This is Jess, my mate.’ He beamed proudly and Jess detangled herself from him grip and swam towards you.

'Hi, Y/N.’ She looked back at Sam. 'Podless?’

'It’s a little more complicated than that.’ Sam admitted, and Jess frowned.

'Where’s Dean?’ She asked, looping her arm through yours. 'Don’t worry, sweetie. We’ll take care of you.’ She smiled, and you found yourself warming to her.

'He’s catching up. It looks like Y/N here was born on land. She only found out about this a couple weeks ago. Her mom was…one of us.’ Jess’ mouth fell open as she looked back to you.

'Oh hon, this must be so overwhelming.’ She squeezed you tightly. 'Look, Sam can go find Dean. You and me, we’ll go get you sorted out. This top must be so uncomfortable and heavy.’ You nodded, too stunned by her easy acceptance to fight her on anything. Your tail swung a little, and you realised that it seemed to respond to emotions. 'Sam, go find your brother. I’m gonna get Y/N sorted out, okay?’

'You’re the boss.’ He bowed a little, and you giggled. It was unclear if the women were in charge around here, but Sam seemed to defer to his lady anyway and swam away. As Jess pulled you in the direction of the caves, you wondered what had happened to Dean.

*****

It was quiet here, and Dean sat with his head in his hands, knowing he should return home but unwilling to. He didn’t even want to go back into the water right now, which was unusual in itself.

He knew.

Deep in his bones, he knew Y/N was his. It wasn’t a coincidence that he’d been the one to find her.

Except he’d messed it all up and nearly let her die.

She deserved so much better.

'Dean?’

His brother’s voice interrupted his thoughts and he looked down, over the edge of the cliff. It wasn’t a long drop, only twenty feet or so, but he’d thought it would be far enough for Sam not to find him.

Couldn’t underestimated his smart-ass brother’s abilities though.

'Dean, come down.’

'I need some space, Sam.’ Dean looked down at his little brother, watching his blue tail as he swam a circle underneath the cliff.

'You need to come home.’ Sam frowned. 'Sitting up there sulking won’t do you any good. Y/N is with Jess. She’s okay but she’s freaked out. I can tell.’

'She’ll be fine with you and Jess.’

'She needs you.’

'No one needs me.’ Dean muttered, turning away.

'Look, I can’t come up there.’ Sam yelled. 'But you can’t stay on land forever, Dean.’

'I know that.’

'So come home.’ Sam paused. 'You know she needs you. I’ve seen the way you look at each other, Dean. She was really hurt when you left earlier. And we all know you’d be the best person to teach her how to live like this.’

Dean shook his head. 'I’ll only mess it up, Sam. I already nearly got her killed once.’ He heard his brother sigh heavily.

'You really believe that? It’s a unique kinda situation, Dean. And besides, you wanna see her happy with some other merman?’ He paused, and Dean felt his stomach twist. 'You know it doesn’t work like that. If you two are meant to be…you have to get past this. Stop thinking you’re not worthy.’ He stopped, and Dean picked at the rocky surface of the cliff, contemplating his brother’s words. After a few moments, Sam splashed a little, and gave another sigh. 'I’m going home. It’s dark, and the bay is clear. Don’t be out here all night, Dean. Come home. Don’t turn your back on this. Don’t turn your back on her.’

He was gone.

Dean sat for a while longer, watching the sun finally disappear beyond the horizon. He’d never been much further than the bay. Before today, he’d never been as far as Talbot. He’d only driven Baby round the small coastal town around the pod’s bay. It made him wonder what else was out there.

The sea was his home – the pod was his home. He wasn’t going to turn his back on that. But his life had been the same for so long and Sammy hadn’t needed him for a long time. Saying that Y/N needed him now…it gave him a spark of hope he didn’t think he deserved.

He stood from his spot, looking down at the legs he had never really gotten used to. Walking was handy and the human world offered it’s pleasures. But he knew where he belonged.

Stepping back, he turned his back on the sea, before he took a sprint towards the edge of the cliff and swan dived into the water, feeling his body return to his natural state. With a yell of exhilaration, he jumped from the water, twisting his body in mid air before splashing back down.

He turned towards home, and swam, faster than he’d ever swum before.


	3. Chapter 3

Everything was overwhelming. Just the sheer scale of this world, the differences…it was hard to put your old life behind you. The first thing that came to mind was how _everyone_ talked. Like, communicated with each other. Of course, they knew stuff about the human world, they knew about technologies and the different countries – they even used some of it. But they preferred to stick to the older ways down here.

Jess was a big help, and you found yourself feeling more comfortable with her aiding your transition. The first thing she’d done was introduce you to another mermaid, called Ellen, who’d straight away sorted you out with something to wear on top that was a little less weighty than your pyjama top. You weren’t entirely sure about swimming around wearing basically a boob tube, surrounded by other people, but Jess had reassured you. No one was going to look at you that way, not if you found a mate anyway.

That was the first topic that panicked you. Of course, Jess had to bring it up whilst Ellen was sewing up something at your back, so you couldn’t exactly run away.

‘You’ll know it when it happens, sweetie, trust me.’ She was gushing now. 'It’s like nothing else in the world.’

'I think I’ve had my fill of new sensations recently.’ You commented dryly. 'I mean, almost dying and finding out you’re a member of a species that has so far only shown up in Disney movies…’

Ellen chuckled. 'My kids begged me to take them to see that at the movies.’

'You go to the movies?’ You blinked and Ellen moved around your front.

'Course we do, sweetheart. Just think of us like…’ She paused, then smiled. 'Hippies. We know about the technology and all of that world, we just choose to live apart.’ You watched her as she looked over at Jess. 'It’s safer down here. No wars. Only humans carry that stuff around. We don’t.’

'That sounds…nice.’ You said, a little at a loss for words. 'I didn’t realise. Don’t you like…ever have things going on with others? Like, the pods?’ You didn’t even know if what you were saying made sense.

Jess nodded. 'Sure we do. We meet up with other pods. Share gifts. But we don’t fight. There’s no point. Enough evil up there without bringing it down here.’ She was looking through a small box on the other side of the cavern Ellen used for her work. She was apparently the seamstress for the entire pod. 'Ah-ha! These will do perfectly.’

She swam over to you, as Ellen finished up the top she’d been crafting. Jess held out her hand, palm up, unveiling two pins, made out of what looked like coral. They were small, and perfectly formed and you reached out, running a hand over them.

'It’s a lot easier to pin your hair back sometimes.’ She said, reaching up and fixing your hair in place. 'I’ve tried to get Sam to wear them but he likes his hair long and loose. Plus, he doesn’t want to “effeminate” himself.’ She made little air quotes and you giggled.

'How is everything so different but the same?’ You wondered aloud. Both women looked at you curiously. 'I mean…I guess it’s like Ellen said huh?’

Ellen smiled, patting you on the shoulder. 'Now, run along hon. I’m sure Jess has plenty to show you. And don’t forget to take her down to Rufus and see if he’s got a cave spare. She probably won’t need it for long.’ The older mermaid winked and you looked at Jess in confusion as she grabbed your hand.

'Don’t mind her. She’s an old sea hag sometimes.’

Ellen stuck her tongue out and then waved as you swam away with Jess.

'So where are we going now?’ You asked, noticing the friendly looks from other mermaids and mermen as you passed by. Jess turned around, swimming backwards, and you watched in amazement. You weren’t quite brave enough to try it yourself. Her long blonde hair fanned out behind her, and the different pinks in her scales showed up under the shimmering reflection from the surface.

'I’ve got to go and introduce you to my sister. She’s going to _adore_ you.’

'Oh okay.’

Swimming down, further away from the main bulk of the caves, you noticed Jess was leading you towards where you’d seen the younglings playing earlier, and you slowed a little behind her as she approached a mermaid with short red hair, and a slightly longer, tunic type top over her chest.

'Hey, Jess!’ The mermaid waved, and Jess waved back, coming to a stop beside the red head, who bent down a picked up a tiny little merperson. As she turned it in her arms, you realised it was a little girl, who looked to be about three years of age.

'Hey now, Tabitha. What did I say about pulling hair?’

'She misbehaving again, Charlie?’ Jess chuckled, wiggling a finger at the three year old, who slapped it away, poking her tongue out. She blew a raspberry, which was mostly bubbles in the water, and you couldn’t help but smile.

'Of course.’ Charlie looked over at you, raising an eyebrow. 'This must be the new arrival. Poor thing, this must be pretty stunning huh?’

'Erm…’

'News travels fast down here.’ Jess said. 'We might not have Facebook but everyone knows everything.’ You found yourself speechless at her casual language and knowledge of social networking. This was getting weirder and weirder by the second.

Maybe you really had got food poisoning and you were hallucinating all of this.

'Tabitha!’ Charlie yelled, as the youngling launched herself from her carer’s arms and into yours. You yelped but caught her, holding her wriggling little body, her yellow tail slapping against you as she giggled and tried to hug you. 'Come back here.’

Tabitha stopped wriggling and became a dead weight in your arms as you held her up. 'I don’t wanna.’

'Now now, young lady.’ Another mermaid swam over, taking Tabitha from you. 'It’s time for your swimming lesson.’

Charlie grinned, watching as the small mermaid was carried away. You followed her gaze. 'Swimming lessons?’

'We can’t generally swim properly until we’re about five. Tabitha is getting there. She’s over the doggy paddle at least.’ Jess said, and Charlie smiled proudly.

'Is she yours?’ You asked the red head, who shook her head in response.

'No. I adopted her.’

You frowned. 'That happens down here?’

'It’s a little less formal. Tabitha’s mom died having her. It happens on occasion. And Charlie took her on.’

'What happened to the father?’ You asked quietly.

'No one knows. Sometimes…it can be hard to lose a mate.’ Jess said, solemnly. 'We don’t question it. If he comes back, he’ll be able to see his youngling, but he’ll not be allowed to care for her on his own. Charlie is her mom now. She’s all the family she’ll ever need really.’

'What if you mate with someone and have your own?’

Charlie laughed. 'That wouldn’t happen. I’m not going to take a male. Ever.’ You stared at her and she smirked. 'I prefer the pink fin, if you get my drift.’

'Oh!’ You exclaimed. 'Oh, that’s…I didn’t…’ You were bright red at this point. 'Sorry.’ Charlie laughed again and you found yourself enjoying the sound. She was magnetic, that was for certain.

'No need to apologise. I’m sure Jess has told you, we’re not much different from humans. We just swim instead of walk.’ She looked over at her sister. 'Besides, Jess is gonna have loads of little ones with Sam. They’re so in love it’s sickening.’

'Shut it.’ Jess pushed her sister, and you smiled at their interaction, feeling your tail twitch again. It was an odd sensation, like a tic, but it seemed to happen for different emotions.

'Y/N!’ A shout came from above you and you looked up. Dean was returning, with Sam behind him, and both brothers came closer. Your tail was practically vibrating with happiness at seeing Dean again – in fact, your entire body was screaming at you.

Jess watched you, a knowing look on her face. 'You know…they say mates a predestined. And Dean _did_ find you. Maybe you should…’ She jerked her head towards Dean as you flushed red. Sam grabbed Jess, pulling her up through the water.

'Missed you.’ He said, kissing her softly.

'Missed you too.’ She replied, rubbing her nose against his. Charlie made a funny noise.

'See? Sickening.’ She sighed. 'I’m gonna go find my little terror. Catch you guys later.’ She threw a hand up, waving as she swam away. You turned, finding yourself face to face with Dean.

'Hey.’ He said, somewhat sheepishly. 'How’s everything going?’ You nodded, unsure of how to talk to him all of a sudden. 'Jess showing you around?’

'I was. She still needs to see Rufus, but he might have disappeared for the evening now. You know what he’s like.’

'That old shark never changes.’ Dean chuckled. 'But you still need somewhere to sleep. Do you want to stay with me tonight?’

'Is – is that appropriate?’ You asked quietly and Dean smiled, taking your hand.

'I think it’ll be okay.’

*****

Apparently even under the surface of the ocean, it did eventually get dark. Dean explained, as you swam with him back to the caverns, that the day started later and finished later down here. Generally, merpeople started their days at around midday human time, and didn’t stop until gone midnight. The baby merpeople, or “younglings” as they were properly called, were educated just like human kids were, and most of that included swimming and learning about topside.

'From what I understand, there isn’t much difference down here.’ You said, following Dean closely through the smaller halls. 'And this is where everyone lives?’

He nodded. 'We live together as a pod. Like a big dormitory. If the pod relocates, everyone goes. No one gets left behind.’

'That’s kinda nice.’ You said, as he turned down a corridor. 'Not being left out, I mean. It’s like one big family. But don’t you get fed up with _everyone_ being around?’

Dean shrugged. 'Not really. I mean, I go off on my own all the time. We still have our own lives. Just the way it’s always been – pod sticks together. If anything bad happens, we’re all here, we can fight as one and protect each other.

'Hey, Dean!’ A voice made you turn, and Dean smiled at the newcomer. He was another merman, but you noticed right away that his shimmering white tail was damaged – one fin was half cut away, a ragged scar where it should have pointed outwards. He was swimming awkwardly but smiling. 'I got that parchment you wanted.’

'Oh, thanks Garth, that’s brilliant.’ The smaller merman handed him the item and then swam away, leaving an odd current behind him.

'Who’s that?’ You asked, almost a whisper. Dean smiled sadly.

'That’s Garth. He’s a good friend. A little…odd.’ You nodded. 'His fin. I know you noticed.’ Dean sighed. 'He was caught in a net. One of those big ones they drop to catch tuna? Ripped half his fin away before he could escape. We found him almost bleeding out. Got him back here and Bobby patched him up.’

'Bobby?’

'Ellen’s mate. He’s old and cantankerous, and likes to sneak topside for a whiskey every now and then. He thinks Ellen doesn’t know, but she does and one day she’s gonna have his ass for it.’

You laughed, following as Dean continued on down the corridor. 'Who’s in charge here, then?’

'No one.’ Dean said. 'We don’t do all of that. We don’t need it. That’s human rules, not ours. We decide together, as a pod.’

'Wow.’

He stopped at a doorway, pulling aside the seaweed curtain across it, motioning for you to swim inside. The cave was small, with very few things inside. You looked around, supposing that if you were naked most of the time, you didn’t need much in the way of furniture.

'I know it’s not much.’ Dean said, pointing to a bed of soft coral. 'But it’s comfortable. We don’t exactly need much down here.’

'I guessed.’ You said, smiling and turning to him. 'It’s cosy.’

He smiled, a little bashful. 'You can take the bed.’

'I’d – I’d rather you stay with me.’ You said, swimming a little closer, almost unconsciously. 'I mean, if you don’t mind? I’m still not used to this. And it’s not like you could wake me up with morning wood.’ It was meant as a joke but Dean went bright red, causing you to backtrack. 'I didn’t mean that, I meant by…shit…’

He laughed then, pulling you close. 'No, I couldn’t. Doesn’t mean I can’t think it.’ His hands on your arms suddenly felt too close, but not close enough at the same time and you looked up into those impossibly green eyes of his. 'Are you going to be okay with this? Twenty plus years topside and you’re suddenly in a world with no phones, no tvs…’

'I thought…I thought it was going to be terrifying. But it’s not like I have to stay permanently.’ His face fell and you cursed yourself, shaking your head. 'I mean, that I can leave. On occasion. I can still experience that life. But now…I don’t have to pay taxes?’

Silence followed that remark, making you feel like you’d ruined the moment, but Dean’s slight chuckle gave you pause. 'You know, Y/N…you’re one amazing girl.’

'Apparently I’m a mermaid, not a girl.’ You retorted, and he nodded, the affection written across his face making you warm inside and out.

'Yeah. You’re both. I think that’s what makes you so special.’

*****

Dean awoke with a start, his dreams confusing and jumbled in his mind. Rolling over, he remembered the day before, and his tail shifted on top of the coral. He blinked, looking down, seeing golden scales below his and he realised he wasn’t covering the coral, he was covering another’s tail with his own.

Y/N shifted in her sleep, burrowing a little closer to him, and he smiled, leaving his tail where it was, despite what it meant. He was already protecting her anyway, there was no harm in showing it. And he didn’t want to wake her by moving suddenly.

It had taken a long time for her to get to sleep, with so many questions in her mind. Dean had answered as best he could, but he knew she still had more to ask. There was a good chance she’d only fallen asleep through sheer exhaustion rather than willingly. But right now, she looked so peaceful, he didn’t want to move.

His face was inches from hers, and he pressed a little closer, almost daring himself. He could see every line on her face, every perfect flaw, and the way her mouth curved up a little in her sleep. She had her arms curled underneath her head – it wasn’t like it got cold down here. Her tail quivered underneath his, and he tried to ignore the sensation it made travel the length of his body.

It was becoming harder and harder to deny the truth right in front of him. On the way back yesterday, when he’d caught up with his little brother, he’d asked what it had felt like to meet Jess. Sam had, almost dreamily, recounted the moment he’d realised Jess was his mate.

_It was like something clicking into place. I knew she was mine. There wasn’t any other way to describe it. I’d been me for so long, but with her, I was more._

And Dean realised he was feeling those exact feelings for Y/N. He’d been the one to find her, to rescue her, for lack of a better term – he had no doubt that if he phrased it that way, she’d probably hit him. She was fierce and strong, brave as hell. She’d left her life behind with no question, needing to know what she was, _who_ she was. And if he didn’t find that attractive, then he was a moron.

Now all he needed to do was tell her. Tell her that he wanted her. That he _was hers_ if she wanted him, which according to Sam, she did.

And he needed to tell her about the parchment Garth had given him. Sam had spoken to the younger merman before coming to find him, asking him to search through the archives. The parchment had been difficult to find but there wasn’t anything Garth couldn’t dig up with a moments notice.

The parchment held the secret to who Y/N’s mother had been. And where her pod was.

*****

Waking up underwater was probably one of the stranger experiences. At first, you forgot and choked a little, before your lungs remembered you were a mermaid and you could breathe water as well as air. Then you noticed a warmth over your lower half and you looked down, seeing Dean’s blue and green scales covering yours, almost tenderly, like he was curled around you. You smiled, before following the line of his body up to his face.

His eyes were shut tightly, and you acted on a whim, moving forward and pressing your lips to his softly. Immediately he awoke, if he’d even been asleep in the first place, and you pulled back, wondering if he’d be annoyed with you.

'Don’t stop.’ He whispered, and you smiled again, shifting closer to him on the soft coral. His arm moved around your waist, his tail tightening around yours as you deepened the kiss. When it finished, and he pulled back to look down at you, you felt a warmth in your belly that hadn’t been there before with anyone.

'That was…’

'Amazing.’ Dean finished your sentence. 'I guess Sam was right.’

'About what?’ You kept your voice low.

'I’m yours. If you want me.’ You didn’t answer and Dean looked a little worried. 'I was meant to find you, I think. Sam said when he met Jess…something fell into place.’ He sighed. 'I know it’s stupid, you’ve only just gotten here and you’ve not had time and…’

You kissed him again, quick and harsh. 'Dean. Shut up.’ The next kiss was long and smooth, both of your tongues fighting against each other for dominance, until you found a rhythm together that worked. He rolled you over, his tail rubbing against yours, causing a feeling that you had no way to describe. All you knew was that you wanted him, every fibre in your being was screaming for him.

'Shit.’ He swore. 'This is…’ He blinked, shaking his head. 'You’re intoxicating.’

You smiled, your hand moving through his hair, watching it sway in the slight movement. Bubbles escaped where he’d been laying on his side, and you giggled, before inspecting your hand. 'Why don’t my fingers wrinkle?’

Dean frowned. 'Huh?’

'Whenever I had a bath at home, if I was in it too long, my fingers wrinkled.’

'That’s…a different subject than the one we were on.’

'Sorry.’ You said, sheepishly. 'I guess it popped into my head and I had to say it before I forgot.’

'You’re adorable.’

You slapped his chest, and he pushed up off of you, chuckling as you sat up.

'And as for the answer to that question…the water up there has all sorts of chemicals. Water down here is as pure as it gets, provided it doesn’t get polluted. I guess that’s something to do with it.’ Dean waved his hand, moving over to a box on a small ledge across the room. His fingers ghosted over it lightly, as if he was deciding something. 'You’d be better off asking Sam that question. He’s the brains.’

You watched him, admiring the way his muscles rippled under the skin of his back, and you suddenly wondered what his ass looked like when he was human. It was difficult to judge a butt when someone had a tail.

'I have something I need to show you.’ He said, hesitantly, before turning around holding the parchment that Garth had given him the night before. 'Sam looked into this. And we found out some…stuff.’

'About?’ You watched him carefully. You’d wanted to ask about the parchment last night, but you’d been so caught up talking to him that you’d forgotten.

'Your mother.’ Dean said quietly, moving over towards you, his tail twitching nervously as he lent on the coral bed next to you. He held the parchment out to you and you took it, unrolling it slowly. 'Her name, it was Sara, right?’

'Yeah.’ You whispered, looking at the unfamiliar writing.

'We keep records of every birth and death.’ Dean explained. 'This is your mom’s. She was recorded as missing three years before you were born. When she died…her brother felt it. And it was recorded.’

'Why is it here?’

'Because it turns out…this is your pod, Y/N. You were always supposed to be here. This is _your_ place.’

You stared at the parchment, trying to make sense of what Dean was telling you. You wanted so desperately for this to be home, but you still had your father, alone in Talbot. Dean didn’t speak, knowing better than to interrupt your thoughts.

Eventually, you moved off of the bed, swimming slowly around the room, eyes still locked on the parchment. 'It says that my mom…her parents died. Ten years ago. It was only her brother left.’ You looked up over at Dean. 'You know her brother?’

He nodded. 'Everyone knows everyone. Crowley is a little…edgier than most. But he’s still part of the pod.’

You breathed in slowly, rolling the parchment back up. 'He’s here? Can I meet him?’

Dean nodded again, moving over to your side. 'Whatever you want, Y/N.’ He leant his forehead against yours and you took the comfort he was offering. 'Whatever you want.’

*****

Crowley apparently lived in one of the caves on the furthest side of the pod’s caverns. He was alone, having lost his mate a long time ago, and you were nervous as you swam beside Dean. You’d never really known your mother – you were so little when she died. And you weren’t sure how Crowley felt about your mom going off and breaking the rules like she had.

Dean called for the other merman, as you lingered behind him. When a surly looking male emerged, his hair black, and his tail the colour of midnight, you swallowed. He looked way more intimidating than he should of done, considering he was smaller than either Sam or Dean. Of course, he was a lot older, you’d been expecting that.

'What can I do you for, Dean?’ Crowley said, his eyes moving to you, lighting up a little with recognition.

'Well, I brought, erm, we found…’

'Y/N?’ The smaller merman said, his voice full of wonder. 'My, how you’ve grown.’

'You know me?’ You asked, coming out from Dean’s protective shadow. He frowned, almost as if he were wanting you to stay where he could shield.

'I’ve only ever known one mermaid with that colour tail.’ Crowley said sadly. 'And I lost your mother a long time ago.’ He moved closer. 'I saw you. Once. Before your mother ran inland with that human she took up with.’ He seemed angry at the thought of your father and you grew defensive.

'That’s my father you’re talking about.’

You expected him to grow angrier, but he laughed. 'You definitely have your mother’s spirit.’ He said, raising an eyebrow. 'She defended him. To the end.’ He shook his head. 'I stopped being angry a long time ago for what she did. It was forbidden, but she insisted he was hers.’

A frown crossed your face, and you opened your mouth, but quickly found you had nothing to say. Crowley smiled.

'I’m glad you’ve come home, Y/N. You never deserved to be cut off from the sea. It will always be your home, whether you accept it or not.’ He looked over to Dean. 'Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have things to attend to.’ He turned, swimming back into his home. You looked at Dean, who shifted uncomfortably.

'That…wasn’t what I was expecting.’

'Crowley is…damaged. He doesn’t exactly enjoy the company of others.’ Dean smiled at you, trying to reassure you. 'But he isn’t lying. You _are_ home, Y/N. I know it isn’t Talbot, and you’re not used to it yet but…I hope you’ll at least consider staying after this.’

You chewed on your bottom lip, reaching out to take Dean’s hand. 'It depends.’

'On what?’ He asked, tilting his head, his hand squeezing your fingers gently.

'If you give me something to stay for.’


	4. Chapter 4

You’d followed Dean away from the caverns, away from the rest of the merpeople. He’d been quiet after your request, and you weren’t sure why, until he stopped abruptly in front of you, his arms padding the water at his side as he waited for you to catch up. With a few long strokes of your tail you came to a messy stop beside him, and looked down at your own body, frowning.

‘You’ll get the hang of it.’ Dean assured you, a small smile playing with the corners of his mouth as he reached over and took your hand. You looked up at him, following his gaze.

Out in front of you, the sandy floor of the ocean dropped away, into a trench, so black that you couldn’t see the bottom. You strained your neck, trying to see what he was looking at.

'This is the true ocean. Where we are? It’s only a couple miles off shore. We’re still practically inland.’ He brought his arm round, trying to encompass the entirety of the blue world in front of you. 'Out there is deeper than any of us can remember going. When I was a kid, me and Sam would play with the others, seeing who was brave enough to go deeper than the others.’ He smirked. 'I won.’

'I don’t doubt it.’ You said, wiggling a little closer to him, your hand still held firmly in his.

'Sam got scared once, when I went really deep. I think he was only five or six. I was nearly ten and getting…a little ahead of myself.’ Dean sighed. 'He didn’t think I was going to come back.’ You watched the emotion play over his face. 'I wish I could give you back your old life, you know.’

Your expression became confused, and you brought your other hand up to hold on to him tightly. 'Why?’

'Because this…to me…it’s home. The sea will always be my home.’ He finally turned his head, and you were shocked to see such sadness in his green eyes. 'And I want so badly for it to be yours, but I know that a piece of you…’ He pointed up with one finger. 'Will always belong up there.’

Your mouth set into a thin line as you contemplated his words. 'I suppose you’re right.’ It made your heart clench to admit it, but Dean was right. You would always be drawn back to the world you’d known your whole life.

He smiled tightly, threading his hand through your hair, frowning when he encountered the pin Jess had put there yesterday. 'She’s already got you into fashions, huh?’

You shrugged. 'I guess. I was never any good at that. In that world or this one.’ The joke lightened the tone a little, and Dean pulled back a little, a playful smile on his face.

'Come on. You need to practice swimming. Wanna see what you’re made of.’ He practically dragged you along, dipped down to the ocean floor, kicking sand up in the wake of his tail. Your hand slipped from his as he barrel rolled, looking back up at you with grin on his face. 'Come on, Y/N.’

You scowled mockingly before following his lead, mucking up the roll and catching your elbow on the floor. 'Ow!’

Dean laughed and you poked your tongue out. 'Keep trying.’

You looked around, before using your hands to push off the floor, swimming directly up towards the surface. Using the flow of the water, you built up momentum, before twisting and arcing over backwards, speeding back down towards Dean. Keeping up the speed, you span around his body, poking at him.

'Hey!’ He made a grab for you, but you contorted out of his reach, laughing wildly. 'That tickles!’

'I bet.’ You swam away, pushing yourself, picking up speed. You could feel the water allow you passage, and you knew Dean was hot on your tail – literally. When you felt his fingers graze the edge of your fin, you flipped, coming around underneath him. You giggled, thinking yourself clever until you saw Dean was completely parallel with you, and you swam upwards once more.

He kept pace, following your movements until you were practically spinning around each other, breaching the surface at exactly the same time. You gasped, shaking your head, water dripping from your nose. Dean grinned widely, pulling you close.

'You’re gonna be a pro in no time.’

The black sky lit up and lightening crashed across the sky, followed closely by a crack of thunder. You flinched and ducked back under the water, Dean following suit, not letting go of you.

'Hey, what’s wrong?’

'Nothing.’ You looked back up, seeing the storm pick up across the surface of the ocean. Dean frowned.

'It’s just a storm.’

'Louder than usual.’ You explained, and his face dropped in understanding.

'Let’s go home, yeah?’

'It’s not really late.’ You said, flinching as another peel of thunder assaulted your ears. It was louder for definite and made your skin vibrate. Was that normal? You’d always been a little wary of storms. 'I guess it’s a little less sheltered out here, huh?’

Dean squeezed your arms, placing a soft kiss on your nose. 'Yeah. But you couldn’t be anywhere safer. We’re too close to the surface here; back home, you won’t hear it.’ He smiled, and you couldn’t help but feel like he was disappointed in something.

'What’s wrong?’ You asked, studying his face.

He shrugged, before smiling again. 'I was…I was planning on showing you…where we go when…’ He looked sheepish as he tried to explain it and understanding dawned on you.

'You were gonna…?’ You shut your mouth quickly. 'Oh.’

'It’s nothing. Damn storm’s just put it off a little.’ He took your hand. 'Come on. Just cause we can’t do that, doesn’t mean we can’t do something else.’ You frowned, but followed him without question, back to the pod. A lot of the others had disappeared indoors or elsewhere, but Dean was right about not being able to hear the storm back here. He kept swimming until you were back at his cave, and he pulled you inside. You made your way to the bed, laying back and waiting for him to join you.

'I keep thinking…’ You said, toying with the coral surface. 'I really can’t wait to see your ass.’

'My ass?’ Dean looked around. 'I have an ass. Just a bit…scaly at the moment.’ He chuckled as you rolled your eyes, reaching for him. With a satisfied sigh, he came closer, pressing the length of his body against yours, his tail pressing against yours insistently. 'I already saw your ass. Well, in those little pyjamas shorts you were wearing…’

'Hey, I was sick!’ You protested, before pulling him closer, kissing him fiercely.

'Doesn’t make it any less of a nice ass.’ His hands trailed down over your abdomen, teasing at where your skin became rough golden scales. 'Not that you don’t have a stunning tail too.’

'Crowley and my dad both said that my mom had the same colour. You and Sam are quite similar too. Is it a family thing?’ Dean nodded. 'So, like eye colour?’

'Usually. I know Jess and Charlie have pink and red. I think their mom has a pink tail too. Can’t quite remember what colour their dad’s is.’

'You don’t pay much attention then?’ You asked, running a finger down his chest to scratch lightly over one puckered nipple. Dean hissed, pressing against you.

'Only tail I care about is yours.’ He whispered. 'That’s the way it goes. I don’t pay attention to other colours or other females. I talk to them, I associate with them, but there’s only one female I care about. And that’s you.’ He smirked. 'For now, anyway.’

You frowned again, pulling your hand away from him. 'I thought mermaids, merpeople, sorry, mate for life?’

'We do.’ He kissed you. 'Doesn’t mean you won’t have a daughter.’

'Oh.’ The word came from your lips in a gasp of realisation. 'So…you want that?’

'With you, I want everything.’ Dean replied, holding you close, one hand around your waist, stroking at the bottom of your back, the other underneath your arm, teasing at the thin top you wore. 'And I wish that storm hadn’t rolled in. I want you so much, Y/N. I know you can’t understand it in this form, but the things you make me feel…’

'No.’ You hushed. 'I do understand. It’s friggin’ weird. But I understand.’ You laid your hand on his hip. 'Just you rubbing me like that…it’s the weirdest thing ever, but it’s like I’m…on edge. Everything is more sensitive.’ Dean pulled at your top, unclipping it from the back. As soon as your breasts were free, he bent his head, kissing one nipple, then the next, all the while stroking along the line of your hips, alternating between skin and scale. You closed your eyes, enjoying all the new feelings coursing through you, when you wondered something.

'Dean.’ He brought his head up, concern in his gaze. 'Have you…you’ve never…’

He smiled, shaking his head. 'I know what I’m doing.’

'Not even with humans?’

His face became serious. 'It’s not…’

'Got ya.’ You remembered. 'Sorry.’

'Stop apologising.’ He whispered, before returning his attention to your breasts, the hand that wasn’t palming your tail squeezing the full flesh of the twin mounds, his tongue twisting and manipulating your nipples into solid peaks. All you could hear was your own moans and whimpers, your fingers clutching at his shoulders desperately. You weren’t even sure you could have an orgasm like this, but Dean seemed determined to find out.

'Dean…’ You keened his name, feeling something curl and then unfold in your belly with an alarming speed.

'Just let go, baby.’ He urged, his bottom half rubbing against you. You did just that, your body shuddering and convulsing in his grasp, his hands holding you fast until you stopped.

'That was…’

He smirked. 'See, I said I knew what I was doing.’

You blinked. 'But how, if you’ve never…’

'I _do_ go up to the surface. Just so happens, I know a few things.’

You thought you might have gotten his gist but as you went to speak, a yawn interrupted you. 'Wow. Sorry.’

'How many times I gotta tell you to stop apologising?’ He laughed. 'Get a nap. I gotta go see Sam anyways. I’ll be back soon.’ He clipped your top back into place, before placing a soft kiss on your lips. You smiled dreamily, letting yourself relax as Dean swam out of the cave, your last thought lingering on the strange but definitely good feelings he’d managed to invoke in you with a simple touch.

*****

Dean swam through the caverns until he came to Sam and Jess’ cave, calling out for his brother. Sam was quick to appear, and he looked concern at his brother’s arrival.

'What’s wrong?’

'You gotta help me.’

'With what?’ Sam seemed a little panicked now.

'Y/N and I…we were…I was gonna take her to the island…but there was a storm. And I don’t know what to do.’ Dean looked so terrified, and Sam paused for a moment before laughing. 'Seriously, dude? You’re gonna laugh at me?’

'Of course I am. Dean, the suave and sexy Dean, my big brother, at a loss because of a female. You gotta admit, it’s gonna be funny. You were always the better swimmer, the better… _everything_. Geez, you know how many females would kill to have you choose them?’

Dean rolled his eyes. 'Except it doesn’t work that way. You’ve done this, Sam. You’ve been with Jess so long. I don’t know where to start.’

'Have you tried, I dunno, _talking_ to her?’ Sam asked, folding his arms over his muscular chest, and Dean scowled at him.

'Of course. I tried to tell her I was going to and then we…well, I think she enjoyed it…’

'Too much information.’ Sam said, making a face of disgust. 'I don’t need to know the ins and outs.’

His big brother looked to be at a loss. 'I think I do.’

Sam looked sceptical. 'I’ve seen some of the stuff you’ve looked at up there, Dean. Busty Asian Beauties? Really?’

'That stuff isn’t like the real thing though, Sam. And it’s not like I can go testing it out on other human girls.’ Silence stretched between them as Dean scrubbed a hand through his hair, his thoughts drifting back to Y/N, asleep in his bed. 'What if I do it wrong?’

'I don’t think that’s possible.’ Sam said with a sigh. 'Look, when me and Jess went to the island, it took time. She was nervous, I was nervous…it’s difficult enough you’re first time, but when you have to go through physical changes, it makes it a little harder. I can’t imagine it’s going to be any easier for Y/N. But she’s had that body a long time, Dean. Maybe you should…let her take charge? She’ll tell you what feels good, what doesn’t. You’re kinda lucky in that respect.’

Dean contemplated this, before nodding. 'I’m really glad you’re the smart one.’

'I’m not gonna let you forget this, you know.’ His brother warned and he nodded in response.

'Yeah, yeah.’ He smiled. 'Sorry I annoyed you. You weren’t busy?’

Sam shook his head. 'No. Was just getting some things ready to spent a night in the archives. Can I suggest one thing though? Get some food to take with you. You might spend longer there than you think.’ His eyebrows were raised as he spoke, and Dean made a face, getting what his brother was implying.

'Right. Thanks.’ He turned, swimming away, leaving the caverns. If he needed to make sure there was food, then he’d have to hunt first.

*****

Your nap was brief but satisfying, and you immediately noticed that Dean hadn’t come back to the cave. Sitting up, you readjusted your top, making sure nothing was showing, before leaving the room and the caverns, heading out passed the other mermaids and mermen in the pod. Some of them smiled at you and waved, and you returned the gesture, feeling a little more accepted by them than you had when you first arrived.

Spotting Charlie up ahead, talking to a mermaid with a similar coloured tail to Jess, you swam over, calling her name. The red head turned, waving at you.

'Y/N! Hey!’ She gripped your arm. 'This is my mom. And Jess’ mom.’

'Y/N? Oh, I’ve heard so much about you.’ The older mermaid said, beaming at you, and you smiled back, a little nervous. 'I’m Clara.’

'Hi.’

'I hear you’re from our pod? I’m sure you’ve found out by now that word travels fast round here.’ Clara laughed, and you noticed she had the same pleasant laugh as her daughters. 'I can’t believe you’re Crowley’s niece. That grumpy old thing.’ She waved a hand. 'It’s so good you found your way home. I was sorry to hear about your mother. I knew her when she was with us. Very adventurous young thing. I wasn’t surprised when she left.’ You nodded, sensing no hostility from the other female. 'Sometimes this sea isn’t big enough for some of us. Just how we’re built.’ She smiled again, touching your forearm briefly. 'Anyway, I must get going. Your father will be back from the hunt soon, and he’ll want me to sort out whatever it is he brings back. I just hope it isn’t octopus again.’ She made a face, and Charlie laughed. 'I’ll see you later, sweetheart. Lovely to meet you, Y/N.’

Clara moved away, leaving you with Charlie. You turned to the other mermaid.

'Octopus?’

'My mom _hates_ the things. We’ve all got our particular tastes.’

'So…fish. That’s the main food round here, I’m guessing?’

Charlie nodded. 'There’s plenty of other choices though. You can eat what you want. Good thing about swimming around is that you get a damn good metabolism. Not many fat merpeople around, I can tell you that.’ She nodded, then brightened. 'Oh, hey! Dean isn’t with you. Have you guys…you know? Gone to the island yet?’

'The island?’ You queried, raising an eyebrow.

Charlie giggled. 'Oh, you’re in for a treat. That’s mostly where the girls and guys go for, you know, a little motion in the ocean?’ She paused. 'Except on land, cos you can’t exactly have sex with a great big tail in the way.’

You smiled, amused by Charlie’s babbling. 'No. Dean hasn’t said anything. He did take me up to the surface but there was a storm. We went…back to his…cave?’ You blushed.

'Ohhhh. So he’s already demonstrated that most mermen have an oral fixation?’ She grinned. 'Not that I can point fingers. I’ve got it pretty bad myself.’

'Yeah he’s…fixated, that’s for sure. I didn’t even think that doing it that was possible.’

'Just remember, when we’re like this, things are a little more _sensitive_ up top.’ Charlie winked. 'I gotta run anyway. Need to pick up the little horror from school. See if she’s mastered those backflips yet.’ She smiled, giving you a quick hug before flitting off. You remained where you were, wondering what to do or where to go. Without anyone around that you knew, you felt a little lost.

'So, how are you finding everything?’

A voice made you turn, and you saw Crowley swimming up behind you. 'Oh. Hi.’

He gave you a tight smile. 'You look a little bewildered.’

'Still getting the hang of this, I suppose.’ You shrugged, unsure of what else to say.

'You’ll pick it up. You were born for it, after all.’ He sighed. 'I only wish your mother had brought you home. For one, she’d still be alive. And you wouldn’t be confronted with this all at once.’ He looked around. 'Where’s that merman you were with…Dean? He’s one of the outgoing guards. I’ve seen his around.’ He frowned. 'His father was a livewire and I’ve heard tell he’s the same. Spending time up there…’

'There’s nothing wrong with up there.’ You defended. 'And Dean is…sweet.’

'Oh. So he’s your intended.’ Crowley said, sussing it out quickly. 'I thought as much. Bet you weren’t expecting that.’

'Not really. But it isn’t a bad choice.’

'That’s the only problem. It’s a not a choice.’ Crowley sounded a little bitter. 'And sometimes you don’t even get to…’ He stopped, a pained look on his face. 'Just be careful. You may not know me from any other damn fish down here, but I don’t want what happened to your mother to happen to you.’

'I’m being careful.’ You said, wondering what else had happened to him to make him so grouchy. You remembered Dean saying that he’d lost his mate – maybe that was what made him so withdrawn.

'Here comes your guppy now.’ He pointed, and you turned, seeing Dean swimming back, parting ways from a group of mermen, all carrying little bags. 'Like I said, Y/N – be careful.’ Crowley swam off, not even giving Dean a cursory glance as the blue tailed merman approached you, his blue-green tail flicking anxiously.

'What was that about?’ He asked, coming up close to your side.

'He’s paranoid as hell. What on earth happened to him?’

Dean shrugged. 'He never told anyone. All we know is that he lost his mate, er, damn, her name escapes me.’ He watched Crowley disappear into the rocks. 'But he wasn’t the same afterwards.’

'Poor guy.’ You whispered, then noticed that Dean had a little bag too. 'What’s that?’

'Went hunting.’ He said. 'I didn’t find anything that I wanted to introduce you too straight away.’

'You’ve been gone for ages.’ You said, as he handed the bag to you. You opened it, finding a collection of mussels, prawns and…chocolate bars. 'You went to the surface?’ You asked, a little shocked.

Dean went red. 'I wanted to get you something nice. And I know you’re gonna have to get used to the diet down here, but human food is…and I’ll admit it freely, _so_ much better. For one, they can cook stuff.’ He smiled as you pulled out a Hershey’s bar. 'And plastic wrapping is a godsend. Besides, you need your energy.’

'For the island?’ You said, shoving the bar back in the bag and looking at him with a raised eyebrow. He stared at you, open mouthed. 'Charlie told me.’

'Oh.’ He nodded. 'Yeah. That’s the plan. Storm passed inland. I wanted…if you wanted…I mean…’

'God, you’re cute when you trip all over your words. Anyone would think you were nervous, Dean.’ He blushed. 'You are? After this morning…afternoon’s little display?’ You lowered your voice. 'Jeez, you made me cum by barely touching me.’

Naturally, Dean’s chest puffed up with pride. 'I’m glad. I was…a little worried.’

'Because you’ve never been with anyone?’ He nodded and you felt guilty almost immediately. Dean seemed to pick up on this and frowned.

'You have though.’ He stated and you looked away.

'I didn’t know.’ You whispered, feeling like it was a piss poor excuse. He nodded, and you could tell it hurt him a little. 'I’m sorry, I really am. If I’d known…if it makes you feel better, I now know why I never bothered with boyfriends. There wasn’t really any appeal….’

'That’s because they weren’t me.’ He said, a hint of anger in his voice as he pulled you close possessively. 'Come on.’ His fingers curled around yours. 'We need to go.’

'Why? What, now? The island?’

He nodded, a dangerous glint in his eyes. 'We have to.’

'Why right now?’ You asked.

'Because if I don’t make you mine there, I might lose control here and now.’ The words fell from his lips like a honeyed growl and you shuddered, simply nodding in reply and allowing him to pull you away from the rest of the pod.

*****

The island was exactly as described. A small piece of land, no more than a spit with a few rocks in the middle of the ocean. But what it concealed was amazing, and you stared open mouthed as Dean swam a few paces in front of you, through an underwater opening. A small tunnel led upwards, opening into a pool. Around the pool was a cavern, which split off into several outcrops, which because clearer as you broke through the surface of the water. It was littered with seaweed and other items, clearly left here over the years. The outcrops were like little booths, with blankets that had seen better days, but it looked comfy enough.

'Won’t we be seen by others here?’ You looked up, seeing various gaps in the top that let through sunlight. It wasn’t as bright as it would be outside, but it was clear enough to see everything.

Dean shook his head. 'This place is generally only used for…’ He stopped, looking over to you. 'I guess, the first time? Most couples find their own places. Beaches, other islands…’ He smiled. 'We’ll figure it out though. There might be somewhere you like.’ He moved over to the edge of the pool, dropping the bag onto the sand floor.

'This place is amazing.’ You said, following him over. He smiled.

'It’s pretty old too. Takes a long time for this sort of formation. But we always manage to find them. It helps they can’t be detected by humans. Even if a diver found it, they’d assume it was just somewhere teenagers had hung out. It’s only special to us.’ Dean took your hand. 'Here, I’ll help you out.’ You leaned in as he helped you out of the water, your arms braced on the side. It wasn’t graceful landing by any stretch of the imagination, and you put on the list of things you’d eventually get used to.

Immediately after leaving the water, you felt your tail tingling, and you wiggled back from the pool. Your skin stretched and tightened and it was bizarre to watch your tail contorting in the cool air, splitting into legs. It seemed like a haze settled over your entire lower body as the change happened and you weren’t going to deny that it made you feel a little queasy.

'You okay?’

'Yeah. This list of things to get used to is getting longer every minute.’ You joked, stretching out your bare legs and wiggling your toes. It was then that you realised that along with your legs returning, everything else had come back and you were naked from the waist down. A blush covered your face and Dean averted his eyes, behaving like a gentleman. You scrambled to your feet, wobbling a bit after having a tail for a few days. Grabbing one of the blankets from the nearest outcrop, you wrapped it around your waist, concealing yourself. 'I’m clear.’ You said bashfully, picking up a second blanket. 'Do you need a hand getting out?’

'No, I’m good.’ Dean replied, and you dropped the blanket at the edge of the pool, within his reach when he got out. Before he could pull himself from the water, he smiled up at you. 'Go get comfortable. I’ll be over in a second.’

You nodded, turning away and picking a “booth” that looked comfy. It looked like a choice between hard rock and sand floor, but you weren’t really bothered, as there were plenty of blankets. Hearing a splash behind you, you smiled and picked up the rest of the threadbare blankets you could find, before picking the little hidden “booth” furthest from the pool. Padding over, you dropped the blankets and started to arrange them into a makeshift blanket on the floor.

Hands landed on your hips as you straightened and you turned, coming face to face with Dean. He’d mimicked you and wrapped the blanket around his waist, his large feet sticking out of the bottom of it. You smiled, standing on tiptoes to kiss him.

'You’re really tall.’ You whispered and he chuckled.

'I guess I don’t really notice it. It doesn’t come up much down there.’ He pressed his chest to yours, droplets of water still clinging to him as he bent his head, stopping you from having to reach up. His lips caressed yours softly and you moaned into him, enjoying the taste of him. He was warm and gentle, despite his size.

Doubt assaulted your mind then, your fears about not being good enough invading your calm demeanour. 'Dean…’

'Yeah?’ His reply was languid, and you smiled.

'Are you sure it’s me?’ You had to ask. If this thing really was for life…you didn’t want him to end up with someone who wasn’t worthy of what he had to give.

'I’m sure. I’m more than sure.’ He looked into your eyes, and you found yourself practically drowning in the green depths. 'I spent the last few days worrying I wasn’t good enough for you.’

'Was worrying about the same thing myself. Me for you, that is.’ You giggled. 'Sorry.’

'You keep apologising.’ He smirked. 'Something you’re gonna have to work on.’

'Sorry.’

His fingers replied for him this time, tickling at your sides, until you relented and fell back to the pile of blankets, the one around your waist holding on precariously. Dean pounced, landing on all fours over you, indulging in your mouth once more, swallowing down every keening sound you made.

'You’re so beautiful.’ He whispered. 'With legs and without. I can’t believe my luck.’

'Have you seen you?’ You asked, a little stunned. 'You’re like…male model good looking. More like my luck.’

'We’ll have to agree to disagree.’

'You know that I apologise a lot? I’ll work on that if you stop putting yourself down.’

He raised an eyebrow. 'How about you put me down?’

You scowled at his double entendre and pushed him onto his back, straddling him somewhat awkwardly with the blanket around your middle, grunting in frustration when you couldn’t do what you wanted. 'I don’t know if the phrase “ripping off a bandaid” is familiar to you,’ Dean’s brow dipped at that, and you assumed he didn’t, 'but I’m gonna employ it right now.’ You took a breath and pulled off your blanket, before clutching at his and pulling it down. Dean hissed at the sudden exposure, before groaning deeply as you pressed against him. Your eyes widened at the sight of his fully naked body, legs and all.

'Wow.’

'What?’ He asked.

You licked your lips. 'Nothing. Just…wasn’t expecting…’ You shook your head, your cheeks reddening. 'Nevermind.’

'What?’ He repeated, before looking down. 'Like what you see?’ He wiggled his eyebrows, and you slapped at his chest before he grabbed you, rolling you underneath him. 'Sam told me to just do what feels right. And this?’ He rubbed against you, his already hard cock bouncing against your thigh. 'Feels pretty fucking right.’

'You cursed.’

He rolled his eyes. 'I’m naked against you, and you pick up on me swearing? I do know how to.’

'Yeah, just…’ You gasped as he thrust against you, the head of his dick poking into your leg, so close to your pussy it was tantalising. 'Okay, point taken.’ You looked down. 'Literally.’

Dean laughed at that, before you rolled your hips up into him, allowing his length to graze along your already wet slit. 'Ungh.’ He grunted, his automatic reaction to rut against you. 'I don’t think…I know there’s other stuff we can do, but right now…all I can think is that I want to be inside you. I want you to be mine, Y/N.’

'I wanna be yours.’ You breathed, closing your eyes as he continued to press into you, so close to entering you. He was teasing now. 'Please, Dean. I don’t think I can wait.’

Without speaking, he lent down, kissing you hard as he slid home, his cock thicker than you’d expected, stretching your walls with a delicious burn. He stopped as he bottomed out, your pelvis flush with his, and a sound of contentment escaped his throat. 'I don’t think…you’re perfect.’ His forehead pressed to yours. 'I knew it. I knew you were mine. From the second I saw you.’

You nodded, unable to form coherent words as he started to move within you. Despite the knowledge that he’d never done this with anyone, it was clear he knew _what_ to do. His movements were fluid and he took his time, pulling almost all the way out before easing back in, keeping his body close to yours. Every time he moved, it was a sensation of fireworks in your belly, and you knew now, you knew exactly what real lovemaking was like. Before, when you’d encountered times like this with other men, it had been dull, not exciting in the slightest.

Because the whole time you’d been meant for Dean.

'Oh god.’ You clutched at him, not sure whether to scream in pleasure or cry with happiness. Dean didn’t speak, his hands holding onto you, his chest rubbing against yours, the fabric of the top you still wore leaving slight red marks on his skin. As if only just noticing, Dean growled, pulling the top up and over your head, exposing your breasts. His mouth immediately dropped to your nipple, sucking hard, teasing his tongue around your areole.

'Y/N…’ He whispered as he released your breast, his cock swelling and pulsing inside you. You cried out, spiralling over the edge into bliss, your mind practically whiting out as he came along with you, filling you with his warm seed.

When both of you came down from the high, you kissed, long and slow, neither of you willing to leave the other.

'You know.’ You started, as he rolled onto his side, his softening cock slipping from you. 'I…that was…’

'Yeah.’ He grinned, raising his arm to put it under his head, the other pulling you close to lay on your chest. 'Pretty good. Next time will be even better. Longer.’

'Well, it was your first time.’

'Not my fault you’re intoxicating.’ He replied, squeezing your shoulder. 'And I’ve got so many more things in mind for the next few hours…’


	5. Chapter 5

You woke up before Dean did, not moving right away. From your position curled into his side, his arm around your shoulders, holding you closer even in slumber, you could hear his soft snores, and it was easy to draw a comparison from when he’d slept at your side the previous times. When you were underwater, he didn’t snore at all. You weren’t sure if it was possible to snore underneath the sea anyway.

With a growl, your stomach alerted you to the presence of sudden hunger, and you reluctantly pulled yourself from Dean’s grip, smiling as he grumbled, his arm slipping over his stomach as he frowned in his sleep. You left his side, searching out the bag, and locating the small trove of goodies he’d found for you. Alongside the chocolate, he’d brought potato chips, and some other little snack items. Seizing a bag of chips, you opened them, biting down on the first one with relish.

Standing, chips in hand, you stretched your legs, not really caring for your nakedness. It wasn’t like anyone else was here to see you. You scrunched your toes in the sandy rock at your feet, working out all the kinks from sleeping on such a hard surface, despite the blankets. Your neck cracked as you worked out the tension, and as you looked up, you spotted the sky through the holes in the cavern roof. It was pitch black, with the slightest twinkle of stars.

Intent on staring, you smiled, feeling more contented than you’d ever been in your life. It was almost like you’d found a long lost part of yourself, which you supposed you had, except it hadn’t quite clicked until you’d discovered what it was between you and Dean.

‘The sky is brilliant from outside.’ Dean’s voice made you jump, and you turned, seeing him stood before you in all his glorious nakedness. 'You were hungry?’

'A little.’ You said, looking down at the almost empty bag of chips. 'A lot.’ Dean smiled, picking up the bag and taking his seat back on the blankets, where you joined him. He pulled out a bar of chocolate and unwrapped it, breaking off a piece to hand to you.

'You snore.’ You said, a smile on your face as you took the offered candy.

'I do?’ He shrugged. 'We can’t all be perfect like you.’

'Cheesy.’ But you grinned wider. 'And I’m not perfect. Not by a long shot.’

'You are to me.’ He said, giving you sidelong look that was full of adoration. No one had ever looked at you like that before, and you ducked your head, popping the chocolate onto your tongue and savouring the taste. Dean watched you, and you could practically feel his eyes on you. 'Lay down.’ He whispered, and you nodded, scooting back on the blanket to lay flat as he crawled over your body. His mouth made contact with yours, and he slipped his tongue between your lips, the taste of chocolate infused with his unique flavour. 'Chocolate’s nice. But I bet you taste nicer.’

He slid down your body, his hands nudging your thighs apart as you shivered in anticipation. The first touch of his fingers on your labia made you jump, but your body relaxed almost immediately after, his gentle, warm skin gliding over yours like a cloud. His tongue darted out to tentatively touch your most intimate parts, and you moaned, closing your eyes, your hands reaching down to grasp his head, threading your fingers through his hair. Dean’s eyes fluttered shut for a moment as you tugged gently on his dark blond locks, before they snapped open, looking up at you with blown pupils.

Almost immediately, he pushed his tongue against you, his hands pushing your thighs apart, urging you to place your feet on the floor. It rendered you unable to reach his hair, but you forgot all about that dilemma when his tongue pushed into you, lapping at your entrance with an eagerness you didn’t know was possible. One hand held you open for his questing tongue as the other circled a finger around your clit, a millimetre away from touching you where you wanted. Your thighs quivered, and your breathing grew uneven, hitching every so often when his tongue went deeper unexpectedly.

'You taste like nothing I’ve ever had before.’ He whispered against your sensitive skin, and you bit your lip, moaning loudly. Coherent speech was beyond you as his fingers finally seized your clitoris, squeezing and applying just the right amount of pressure to send you cascading into ecstasy. Dean didn’t stop fucking you with his tongue, tasting everything you had to give, before he moved up your body and lined his now hard cock up with you.

Watching you come apart on the blankets, still riding the waves, he slid his cock home, closing his eyes and groaning in bliss as the move prolonged your orgasm and your walls spasmed around him. You were wet enough that every thrust he made gave obscene sucking noises, and he pushed your thighs up to get a deeper angle into you.

'Dean…fuck…I can’t…’

'Don’t hold on, baby. I want you to come. Again and again.’ He grunted, punctuating his words with a thrust of his length into you, his hips hitting your ass over and over again. You screamed as you stopped holding back, letting the pleasure crest over and over again, until you were sure the blanket beneath you was soaked and Dean was sweating trying to hold off his own orgasm. You weren’t sure if you were having multiple climaxes or one big one that just keep going and going, but the world you were in right now made sure you didn’t actually care.

Dying right now would be heaven, and nothing would actually beat it.

Dean’s grip on you loosened and he threw his head back, a strange primal noise spilling from his throat as his cock pumped its last into you, his come filling you, spilling out the sides as he fucked you through his orgasm.

You reached for him as he finished, pulling him down for a deep kiss, tasting the sweet chocolate on his tongue, mixed with the taste of you and sweat from his frantic lovemaking. You released him with a pleasure-filled groan, letting him withdraw and collapse next to you.

'You’re astounding, you know that?’ He whispered, still breathing heavily.

'I didn’t exactly do a lot then.’ You admitted with a giggle, rolling onto your side, feeling the ache in your legs where he’d had them held aloft. 'You were doing all the work.’

'Doesn’t matter. You’re still pretty damn amazing.’

His gaze was on the cavern roof, and you followed it, seeing the stars twinkling, the moonlight making patterns on the pool at the far end of the cavern.

'I wanna go outside and watch the stars for a while.’ You said, and Dean smiled.

'We can do that.’

*****

Swimming down through the pool and back up to the surface took less than five minutes, and Dean watched as you climbed out of the water once more, shaking your tail off. Droplets of water splashed over the rocks as you waited for him, looking at the golden and red scales of your lower body.

'I said it was a pretty tail.’ He commented, climbing up next to you and taking a seat. He kept the end of his tail in the water, leaning back against the rock surface, propped on his elbows. You nodded, looking down at his.

'Is calling yours pretty acceptable? You’re a guy.’

Dean chuckled. 'I think you can get away with it. Only you though. Anyone else calls me pretty, I’ll -’

'Blow bubbles at them?’

'You’re funny. I can punch, you know.’

You raised an eyebrow. 'Have you ever even been in a fight?’

He nodded. 'Once. Rival from another pod. We never got on. Heard he got himself mated and settled down though. Which is good for him, cause I would have kicked his ass to the Indian Ocean.’ You giggled, snuggling into Dean’s side and looking up at the clear sky. 'What’s so funny?’

You shrugged. 'I couldn’t imagine you being like that.’

He sighed. 'I have to be. My job isn’t like the others. There’s only a few of us. Trained to deal with any dangers to the pod. Round here, there isn’t much to contend with, but out in open sea…we got predators just like any other creature.’ He pulled you close. 'We aren’t top of the food chain like humans.’

You weren’t sure how to respond to that, allowing him to hold you against his chest. The only sounds you could hear now were his heart beat and the sound of the waves lapping gently at the rocks and shore. Dean’s tail moved languidly through the water, making little waves of his own, and you suddenly had an idea. Your tail had dried off in the warm night air.

'Dean…would you pull yourself out of the water?’

He frowned. 'I can. Why?’

'Because I want to do something.’ You paused. 'If you’re recovered enough?’ He cocked his head to the side, before nodding, yanking the rest of his body from the water. Within minutes, his tail dried off, aided by your hands, and his legs reformed, along with the rest of him.

'What are you up to?’ He asked, a twinkle in his eye.

'Well, you tasted me.’ You whispered, kneeling up and swinging one leg over him. The rock was uncomfortable underneath your knees, but you didn’t care for the moment. 'I wanna taste you.’ His eyebrows shot up, his cock quickly following as you smiled. 'I see you approve of that idea.’

'Can’t say I’m gonna object.’ He folded his hands behind his head, looking for all the world like the cat who got the cream, and you wrapped your hand around his dick, pumping slowly, which wiped the smirk right off of his face. He groaned, long and deep and you smiled appreciatively at the drop of precum weeping from the tip. His eyes opened to focus on you, but they were hazy, full of need. 'You like being on top, huh?’

'You have no idea.’ You whispered, continuing to pump him as you bent down, your legs holding his fast, your tongue sliding over the tip of his cock gently, only the hint of teeth scraping on the tender flesh. Dean’s guttural moan echoed off of the rocks, and you smiled around him, before taking him in further. His cock hit the back of your throat, but you found that your gag reflex didn’t object, and you closed your eyes, focusing on taking as much of him in as you could. The wiry feel of his pubic hair on your nose made you wrinkle your forehead up, and you pulled back, running your tongue along the veins on the underside of his prick, encourage more filthy noises to spill from his throat. His hands were practically clawing at the rock underneath him and you went down again, deep throating him as hard as you could.

He tasted like the sea, but it wasn’t an unpleasant taste, and you savoured every time he sank into your throat, alternating between opening your eyes to look at his head thrown back in ecstasy on the rocks, to closing your eyes and relishing the power you had over him right now, the taste of him on your tongue, the feel of his skin underneath your ministrations.

'I’m not gonna last long if you keep doing that, Y/N.’ Dean’s words were choked, and his body was trembling underneath you, but you didn’t stop, determined to make him come down your throat, wanting that pleasure. His hips bucked, and you used your free hand to pin him down, before running your fingers lightly over his sac.

That seemed to be the straw that broke the camel’s proverbial back, as Dean shouted out his pleasure to the star-filled sky, his come hitting the back of your throat like warm honey, and you swallowed around him, taking everything he had to give. When you felt him relax, his cock softening in your mouth, you sat back, wiping your mouth with your hand.

'You’re…fuck…’ You didn’t think you’d get used to him cursing like that. 'You’re goddess.’ He whispered, reaching for you, but you dodged out of his reach.

'Not that easy. You’re gonna have to catch me.’ You winked, before getting to your feet, taking advantage of his temporary orgasm-induced paralysis to leap from the rocks, into the water, a very ungraceful splash coating him on the shore as you giggled and dived below.

You heard the splash behind you, and you smiled as you swam frantically around the entrance to the cavern. You weren’t quite ready to go back inside yet, but you didn’t want to leave either, and to be honest, you’d gotten pretty used to the feeling of being free underneath the waves.

As you weaved in and out, Dean hot on your tail, the thought of going home rattled around in your brain like an unwelcome nightmare remnant.

Now wasn’t the time.

But it was fast approaching.

*****

The sun set on the second day in the cavern, and Dean’s hands urged you into a lingering embrace. Pressed into his shoulder, you stifled a sob.

'What’s wrong?’

'I don’t want this to end.’ You whispered, and Dean pulled back, looking down at you.

'Who says it has to end?’ He asked, concern showing on his face. 'We’re together. Now and always. Leaving you is not on my list of things to do.’

'But…this isn’t my home, Dean.’ You couldn’t look him in the eyes. 'My dad, my friends…even my job. God, I want this to be my home so badly, but I can’t just abandon those things.’

Dean’s frown became so sad so quickly, it hurt to look at him. 'You can’t live on land, Y/N. I thought you understood that.’

'I can’t just ditch everything, Dean. This isn’t some sort of fairy tale!’ Your voice was raised now as you pushed him away, uncaring that you were throwing a tantrum whilst completely naked. 'I had a life!’

'You still can!’ He insisted. 'But you can’t be that far away from the sea. It might cost you your life. Do you really want to make the same mistake as your mom?’

You glared at him. 'Don’t say that.’

'I’m not…I didn’t mean…’ His head dropped, and his body let all the tension out, as he visible gave up the fight. 'I love you, Y/N. I’m not gonna force you to do anything. I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth if that is where you want to be. I’ll die by yourself and I won’t regret a moment of it.’ He moved closer to you. 'But please, consider staying.’

You looked at him, your eyes filling with tears. His hand cupped your cheek, but you pulled away, giving him one last apologetic look before throwing yourself into the pool.

*****

How had it all gone so wrong, so fast?

You’d felt so much peace in those few days, but you’d known it wouldn’t last. Dean was too good to be true. But even now, you missed him, you felt the gaping hole inside where he’d been.

Swimming away from that island, you’d bypassed the pod, heading inland. You’d felt guilty about breaking into a shop in the middle of the night to steal some gaudy beach shorts and a shirt, and hitch hiking back to Talbot had not been fun in the slightest. The further you got from the sea, the more wrong you felt, and you had to physically fight the urge to turn around.

Your dad had been shocked when he’d opened the door and even more so when you’d fallen into his arms crying your heart out. But he hadn’t said anything – he’d simply pulled you close and lead you to the living room, allowing you to release that sadness, crying for what felt like hours.

'So. Do you want to tell me what is wrong?’ He asked, pushing back your hair from your red and blotchy face. 'And why you’ve put yourself in danger all over again?’

'I…I couldn’t stay there, Dad.’ You whispered. 'This is my home. With you.’

He nodded. 'Except it isn’t, sweetheart. It never was.’ You frowned, and he sighed heavily. 'I spent so long trying to keep you from that world, but I could see it. No matter what you were doing, there was a hole in you. Something that no amount of fatherly love could fix. You could be smiling, happier than ever and still…it was like a cloud.’ He took a breath and you looked away, unsure of how to respond.

When you noticed the room around you, your brow dipped further. 'What’s with the boxes?’ You asked, seeing them piled all around the living room, labelled up. Panic gripped your heart. 'You were going to leave? Without telling me?’

'No!’ He said, looking offended. 'I…I sold the house. Rush job. Got less than I could for it, but it was worth it.’

'You…sold the house? Where are you going?’

He smiled. 'I bought a little fixer upper down by the bay.’ Your mouth fell open. 'I couldn’t very well live without being close to you. And it’s a two bed. So if you need somewhere to stay…your home isn’t Talbot, Y/N. It’s always been the ocean. And if I have to live there to be close to you, then so be it.’ His eyes twinkled. 'I’m not missing out on grandkids, even if I have to learn to swim all over again to see them.’

'You’d…you’d give up everything here for me?’

'What do I have here?’ He asked. 'You’re my daughter. I’d choose you over my job, my friends…even my favourite bar.’ Your father smiled teasingly. 'There isn’t anything in the world I wouldn’t give up for the best thing I ever did.’

You didn’t know how to respond to that, instead flinging your arms around him, squeezing him tightly. A few moments later, and he pried you off, looking at you seriously.

'Now. Tell me what happened.’

*****

Dean hadn’t ever driven like an idiot before, but he knew exactly where Y/N had gone and he had to be there as soon as possible. As he pulled up to the house in Talbot, his mouth opened in shock. On the doorstep was Y/N’s father, directing moving men towards a large truck.

As he climbed from the Impala, anger stirred in his gut, and he stormed towards the house.

'You’re leaving?’ He didn’t wait for an answer. 'Is she here?’

Her father fixed him with a stern look, before shaking his head. 'Yes. She’s in her room. Maybe you should calm down and go speak to her.’

'She told you.’

'She told me everything.’ Her dad looked at least a little sympathetic. 'And I disagreed. Naturally, she threw a tantrum.’ He raised an eyebrow at the younger man on his doorstep. 'I hope you know what you’ve let yourself in for, Dean.’

Dean found a smile crossing his face as he nodded. 'Wouldn’t change it.’ He took the stairs three at a time, energy bouncing through his system as he approached her room. The door was open and Y/N looked up in surprise as she picked up a box to move it into the hallway.

'Dean?!’ The box nearly fell, but he was there, catching it.

'Y/N.’ He breathed. 'You ran off.’ He didn’t mean for it to sound accusatory but it did, and Y/N’s face darkened.

'I was scared. Surely you could understand that?’

Dean nodded, taking the box from her grip. 'I do. And I’m sorry.’ He hefted the box in his arms. 'Are you…are you leaving with your dad?’

'I am.’ She replied, stiffly, and Dean felt his heart break. 'He bought a place on the bay.’ She turned, as Dean dropped the box to the floor gently. 'So I can have a home near my real home.’

'You’re coming back.’ His voice was barely a whisper as Y/N pressed up against him.

'Of course I am. If you’ll have me. The colossal idiot that I am.’

'You’re not an idiot.’ Dean reprimanded, pulling her close to him. 'You’re _never_ an idiot.’ Her smile reached her eyes as he held her close. 'Just…don’t ever leave me.’

'That’s the deal right?’ She replied, looking up at him. 'I’m not going anywhere.’


End file.
